After a lengthy press conference in Paris this morning (Thursday 11th April 2017) the films chosen for the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival 2017 have been announced.
The 2017 Cannes Film Festival will include four out-of-competition titles, three midnight screenings, one special screening and nine first films from the incredible 1930 films that were submitted. Festival director Thierry Fremaux said that 12 female directors would be featured in the official selection, an increase on the nine in 2016.
Visitors to the red carpet, via their films being selected, will include Australian actress Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Julianne Moore, Joaquin Pheonix and Adam Sandler who will be making his first trip to the Croisette since 2002 when he was among the cast of Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love.
The eighteen films selected to be 'in competition' including Yorgos Lanthimos's follow-up to The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Todd Haynes's Wonderstruck, The Beguiled directed by Sofia Coppola (starring Nicole Kidman), Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here, along with new films by François Ozon, Bong Joon-ho and Michael Haneke.
With Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal among the cast of Bong Joon-ho's Okja, we are sure to see them on the red carpet as the film marks the first Netflix production to premiere in-competition at the festival.
In addition to the selected films there will be some special screening which will include two episodes of David Lynch's eagerly anticipated Twin Peaks reboot will be screened, along with two episodes of Jane Campion's mystery TV drama series, Top of the Lake (again starring Nicole Kidman), which is about to return for a second season.
As previously announced, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar will oversee the main competition jury that will award the Palme d'Or and other top prizes. The other jury member have yet to be announced.
The 2017 Cannes Film Festival is due to take place from 17th to 28th May on the infamous Croisette.
