New films by David Cronenberg, Claire Denis, Kelly Reichardt and Park Chan-wook will compete for the Palme d'Or at the 75th Cannes Film Festival next month, organizers announced Thursday.
Festival artistic director Thierry Frémaux and President Pierre Lescure announced the lineup Thursday in Paris, shortly before the selections were posted on the festival's official website.
The 75th edition of the event will unfold against a tumultuous backdrop in Europe, which has been shaken by the war in Ukraine, renewed anxiety about international stability and continued uncertainty about the Covid pandemic.
Cannes leaders canceled the 2020 event and hosted a scaled-down version last year, so organizers hope to restore some glamour this year, with around 35,000 accredited attendees expected to descend on the French Riviera.
Eighteen films will vie for the Palme d'Or, including new works by former winners of the top prize, such as the Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, the Swedish provocateur Ruben Östlund and the humanist Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.
The competition also includes Cronenberg's twisted "Crimes of the Future," starring Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart and Viggo Mortensen; Reichardt's "Showing Up," featuring Michelle Williams; and Park's detective thriller "Decision to Leave."
A few big-budget Hollywood spectacles are also set to screen out of the formal competition, including the world premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" and Baz Luhrmann's glossy biopic "Elvis," starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks.
"Mad Max" creator George Miller will appear out of competition with "Three Thousand Years of Longing," his first feature film since "Mad Max: Fury Road" in 2015. Miller's latest, which has been described as a fantastical romance, stars Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton.
The festival will kick off with the premiere of a zombie comedy, "Final Cut," from "The Artist" director Michel Hazanvicius. James Gray will be on hand with the 1980s-set drama "Armageddon Time," starring Jeremy Strong of "Succession" fame.
Two intriguing music documentaries will screen out of competition: Ethan Coen's "Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind" and Brett Morgan's "Moonage Daydream," a portrait of David Bowie. (Coen's film is his first without his brother, Joel.)
The festival is scheduled to run May 17 to 28. The organizers said they would announce the jury at a later date. The social media giant TikTok will serve as the festival's official partner.
