Cannes 2022 & Russia, plus the Quinzaine
Just to cut short the many rumours that have been circulating in these confusing times: the Cannes Film festival has decided that official Russian delegates are not welcome to the festival unless the situation changes between now and then. However, individual fim-makers will still be attending (if travel is actually possible).
It is worth underlining this, as Cannes has often been faced with political crises. In fact, it was originally born in one, as it was initially set up as an alternative to the Venice Film Festival which was perceived as a showcase for Mussolini's fascist regime. It has also been famously supportive of Iranian film directors and actors faced with hostility from their own leaders.
People have also been asking about the merit of banning all Russians. This is not the case. Andrey Zvyagintsev’s 2014 film Leviathan won the award for best script and went on to have a very healthy career despite uproar in Russia itself.
As I said, the main problem might be getting films finished on time and making travel arrangements.
Quinzaine: don't miss the deadline
In other Cannes news, the deadline for the Quinzaine des Réalistaeurs/Director's Forthright is March 11 (with delivery by March 25). Apply here.
Pan-African Film Festival
Sometimes called "the other" film festival in Cannes, this celebration of pan-African and diapsora cinema (mostly) and fashion will be held later in the year, October 18-24. Get details and links for submissions here.
MIPTV this April
The next big Cannes event is MIPTV. I can see no references to the war in Ukraine. This is pretty much a last-minute thing, as the doors open April 4. It is preceded by CanneSeries on April 1. Applications here.
As always, last-minute news of Cannes can be found by Twitter here.
Michael
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