Best of the Cannes Official Selection 2020 Films
By Pickle June 22, 2020
Share:
Pierre Lescure, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, the festival’s Artistic Director and General Delegate, announced its 2020 lineup of 56 Cannes labeled films. The curated film titles that have got the Cannes 2020 official stamp of approval will get a big boost at the Cannes Virtual Film Market, film festivals, theatres in the coming months. A record 2,067 features films were submitted for consideration for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival (1,845 films in 2019). Of the 56 films picked in the Cannes official selections, 21 are French films. Of the 56, sixteen were made by women directors. Four animation films found a place in the selection. Here’s our critics’ pick of 15 films that are likely to conquer minds, award ceremonies and festivals in the coming months, as we live amidst COVID-19.
Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom opened the Cannes festival in 2012. A Fox Searchlight film, The French Dispatch is set in the French foreign bureau of a Kansas newspaper. A big tribute to Journalism.
THE FRENCH DISPATCH (USA)
Director: Wes Anderson
Production: INDIAN PAINTBRUSH PRODUCTIONS/
AMERICAN EMPIRICAL PICTURES
International Sales: FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
A moving film on adoption. Satoko and her husband decide to adopt a baby boy. Their parenthood is shaken by a call from Hikari who claims to be the child’s biological mother. What happens next forms the rest of the critically acclaimed movie.
TRUE MOTHERS
Director: NAOMI KAWASE
Production: KINO FILMS CO
Sales: PLAYTIME
It stars Mads Mikkelsen in the lead role. Druk by Thomas Vinterberg is the story of a tortured alcoholic and his journey. The Danish film runs for 115 minutes. Mikkelsen plays the protagonist named Martin.
ANOTHER ROUND DRUK (Denmark)
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Production: ZENTROPA
International Sales: TRUSTNORDISK
Maïwenn was twice in Cannes Official Competition. DNA is a fictional, touching film. Maïwenn, besides helming the movie, also stars in this film. Besides Maïwenn, the film also stars Louis Garrel, Marine Vacth, Fanny Ardant and Dylan Robert.
DNA (Algeria/France) ADN
Director: Maïwenn
Production: WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS
International Sales: WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL
Set in the year 2086, Last Words is a fictional film that is about end of the world. Very few people have survived and a young man embarks in search of the last remaining community of humans. It will resonate with peculiar times we are experiencing now. A handful of survivors on an island of greenery, regain hope by watching old movies, but cough and fall under the effect of a virus.
Kalipha Touray, a 19-year-old Gambian refugee plays “the last human being on earth”.
LAST WORDS (USA)
Director: Jonathan Nossiter
Production: STEMAL
International Sales: THE PARTY FILMS
Epic comedy, it is the story of two men who meet by chance. The duo then take a trip, searching for a taste of happiness. Their experiences form the crux of the film.
HEAVEN : TO THE LAND OF HAPPINESS (South Korea)
Director: IM Sang-Soo
Production: HIVE MEDIA CORP
International Sales: FINECUT
Based on Hector Abad Faciolince’s cult novel, the film portrays the life of Héctor Abad Gómez, a prominent doctor and human rights activist in the polarized, violent Medellin of the 70s. This story seen through the eyes of his only son, Héctor Abad Faciolince. One of the most outstanding writers in modern Spanish-language literature.
FORGOTTEN WE’ll BE (Spain) EL OLVIDO QUE SEREMOS
Director: Fernando Trueba
Production: CARACOL TELEVISION
International Sales: FILM FACTORY ENTERTAINMENT
A new film by Lithuanian master Sharunas Bartas. Lithuania, 1948. War is over, but the country is left in ruins. 19-year-old Untė is a member of the Partisan movement resisting Soviet occupation. They do not fight on equal terms, but this desperate struggle will determine the future of the whole population.
IN THE DUSK (Lituania) Au crépuscule
Director: Sharunas Bartas
Production: KINOELEKTRON
International Sales: LUXBOX
It’s British director Francis Lee’s second LGBT romance after his much acclaimed debut, God’s Own Country. Ammonite is a 19th century love story starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan. Lee said the film a story about the “the power of love; the power of a deep, intimate, human relationship; the power of touch; and hope.
AMMONITE (UK)
Director: Francis Lee
Production: SEE-SAW FILMS
International Sales: CROSS CITY FILMS
This biopic of German cinema’s prolific Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Enfant Terrible, is directed by Oskar Roehler. Oliver Masucci (Hitler in the satirical Look Who’s Back) plays Fassbinder. When 22-yearold Rainer Werner Fassbinder storms the stage of the ‘Antitheater’ (Anti-Theatre) in Munich, 1967 and seizes the theatre production without further ado, nobody suspects this brazen nobody to become one of the most important post-war German filmmakers.
ENFANT TERRIBLE (Germany)
Director: Oskar Roehler (Germany)
Production: BAVARIA FILMPRODUKTION
International Sales: BAVARIA FILMPRODUKTION
It is a period films, from McQueens BBC/Amazon anthology series. Mangrove, is about a group of British black activists who were arrested in 1970 after demonstrating against police harassment A topical film today. McQueen has dedicated this film “to George Floyd and all the other black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen
MANGROVE (UK)
Director: Steve McQueen
Production: TURBINE STUDIOS LIMITED
International Sales: TURBINE STUDIOS LIMITED
Pascal Plante directed short films, including Blond With Blue Eyes (Best Canadian Short Film, VIFF 2015), Nonna (Slamdance 2017) and BLAST BEAT (Slamdance 2019). Young and in her prime, Nadia decides to retire from pro-swimming after the Olympic Games to escape a rigid life of sacrifice. After her very last race, Nadia drifts into nights of excess punctuated by episodes of self-doubt.
NADIA, BUTTERFLY (Canada)
Director: Pascal Plante (Canada )
Production: NEMESIS FILMS
International Sales: WAZABI FILMS
Ninja Thyberg’s film is an intimate, authentic and humorous journey into the everyday grind of the porn industry and among the people behind the stereotypes. A 20-year-old ambitious girl moves from her small town in Sweden to Los Angeles for a shot at a career in the adult industry. With the help of her three porn actresses roommates, she discovers a world dominated by males in which she has to push her personal and sexual limits to become the next big porn star.
PLEASURE (Sweden)
Director: Ninja Thyberg
Production: PLATTFORM PRODUKTION
International Sales: VERSATILE
Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut is a dark family drama in which he also stars. John Petersen lives in California with his partner Eric and their adopted daughter Monica. His father Willis, a farmer, belongs to a much more traditional world, far from the new family codes. Upon retirement, Willis decides to be closer to his family and John welcomes them into their home. If Willis can get closer to his granddaughter Monica, the wounds of the past will reopen with John and his sister Sarah.
FALLING (USA)
Director: Viggo Mortensen
Production: PERCIVAL PICTURES
International Sales: HANWAY FILMS
Born in Lebanon, now in Paris, Danielle Arbid’s two feature films Dans les champs de bataille and Un homme perdu have been selected for the Quinzaine des réalisateurs at the Cannes Film Festival.
Passion Simple is based on the popular 1992 novel by Anne Ernaux. A love story, full of emotions. A French academic embarks on a passionate affair with a married Russian diplomat.
PASSION SIMPLE (Lebanon)
Director: Danielle Arbid
Production: LES FILMS PELLÉAS
International Sales: PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL
Highlights
Uday Shankar forms New Tech and Media Venture with James Murdoch
CII Seeks Industry Status for M&E in Union Budget
51st IFFI Will Capture New Narratives in Cinema
15 Films Compete for Golden Peacock at #IFFI51
Top IFFI Picks: Another Round, Mehrunisa, Wife of A Spy
Hybrid IFFI From January 16
CII BIG PICTURE SUMMIT 2012: Growth Triggers From Ronnie
What Media Guru Amit Khanna Said in CII BIG PICTURE SUMMIT 2012
LATAM Market Ventana Sur from November 30
Blue Efficience Roped in For Ventana Sur
Films to watch @ Ventana Sur
India Rolls out Red Carpet to Foreign Filmmakers
Ramesh Sharma’s New Documentary Film on Gandhi at AFM
The Warrior Queen of Jhansi at AFM
With Film Visa, Global Producers Can Now Shoot in India
www.cinemarket.io – Buy, Sell & Engage
Embracing Cinema Through Screens of all Sizes
Nomadland wins People’s Choice at Toronto
MIPCOM 2020 Goes Entirely Online
South Korea will be MIPCOM 2020 country of honor
India, the Window of Opportunity
Get Ready for Hybrid IFFI
Film Making Centres of India
Get Your Film Take Wings at Virtual Film Bazaar
Make at least Ten co-productions in a year
Filmmakers Should Make use of India-Canada Treaty
TIFF: The Show and Business Goes on
Navigating Toronto Film Festival and Industry
Make in India, Show the World
Be Part of the Pickle India Focused Toronto Edition
ads2OTT set to Launch in Oct 2020
MovieSaints to release Memories of a Forgotten War
Truth Is Dead
Submissions Open For Berlinale Co-Production Market
Gender Equality-Berlinale Eliminates Silver Bear for Best Actor and Best Actress
All3Media, A+E Networks, BBC Studios, ZDF Join MIPCOM 2020 Global UPFRONTS Lineup
NürnbergMesse’s Content India Show from October 29-31
Berlinale 2021 Will be a Physical Festival; EFM in Hybrid Format
Best of 2020: A Dazzling Dozen
Striking the Right Chord
Ishaan Khatter looking ‘beyond clouds’ with promising upcoming projects
IFFI 2020 Adopts Hybrid Online-Physical Edition
India Unbound
20 Films That Make us Believe Freedom is Priceless
Krishna Janmashtami Special
National Education Policy: Game Changer
18 Must-See Films at Venice 2020
Ayushmann Turns Athlete
Indian Trio in Venice
Blockchain: The Future is Now
Not right time to open cinema halls: Ravi Kottarakara
Meet, ERICA. AI Actor in a SCI-FI Film
Vidya Balan Set to Shine as Shakuntala Devi
Straight Answers From Alexander Shulgin
Content is king for Saregama’s Yoodlee
Nuggets From Animation Thought Leaders
NYIFF Takes Virtual Route
From The Heart Of Disney
New Model of Filmmaking in India
My Journey: How I Did It
Animation in the Age of Art & Tech
Making Filming in India More Easy
Gaurav Banerjee: Star Unveiled
FDI cap of 26% for News Aggregators Under Consideration
The Changemaker
COVID-19 has Accelerated Digital Shift Towards Across Sectors
No Business as Usual for Film Industry
What’s Wrong With our News Media Today ?
The Fire Inside Regina
Gaming Industry Braves Covid
Disney +Hotstar Leads the Disruption
Taapsee’s takes on OTT, Nepotism & Covid
Oscar Invites QUBE’s Senthil Kumar to be its Member at Large
What’s New Search Engine Neeva Can Do That Google Cannot?
The New Oscar Award Date April 25, 2021
India to Offer Incentive Package for Film Shoots and Co-Production
‘NFDC Film Bazaar Goes to Cannes’
Strings of Genius
A Ray That Still Lights The Way
Best of the Cannes Official Selection 2020 Films
Most Awaited Films of India
56 Films: Cannes Reveals 2020 Lineup
The Making of Cannes 2020 Film Selection Process
Cannes Virtual Film Market Extends Earlybird Registration to June 12
Take a Look at Annecy Competition Lineup
Getting Back to Business, Reveals Media Consumption Pattern
Cannes 2020 to Announce Festival Selection Lineup on June 3
20 Work in Progress Tiltles Unveiled for Goes to Cannes
Annecy VR Works Selections for Digital MIFA Market
Film Bazaar’s Work in Progress Films from India Goes to Cannes Virtual Market
Navigating Virtual Cannes Film Market 2020
Meet the Streamers: HBO Max & Quibi Keynotes at Cannes Virtual Film Market
Dedicated Cannes XR Virtual Edition from June 24-26
Screen Moms; Best Movies to Stream on Mother’s Day
Vijay Deverakonda: The Lovable ‘Rowdy’
Sai Pallavi: Natural Beauty is a Natural Actor Too
Cannes Virtual Film Market Registration Opens May 13
COVID-19: Nuggets from Netflix’s Ted Sarandos on Filming and Safety Protocols
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is New Sensation in Netflix Original Series Never Have I Ever
The Best Movies of 2001-2019 Not Streaming in OTT Platforms
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Best Movies of the New Millennium Streaming Now
Annecy Unveils Virtual Film Festival and Market in June
Roskino to Host Russian Virtual Digital Content Market from June 8
27 Rishi Kapoor Films to Stream at Home Now
Virtual Nab Show Express will Take Place May 13-14, 2020
51 International Film Festival of India, Goa ( 20 -28 November, 2020)
Films to Watch in 2020
Christopher Nolan Films Tenet in Mumbai
A Call From Uttarakhand For Filmmakers Of The World
FFO Rolls Out Red Carpet For Foreign Filmmakers
INDIA@BERLINALE-Indian Cinema’s Voices Emerging
51st IFFI TO Mark Satyajit Ray’s Centenary Celebrations
Infusing Life With Dubbing AT VR Films & Studios
Sailing well in Animation Waters
Berlinale 2020: India’s Laila Aur Satt Geet Selected for ‘Encounters’ Section
Prateek Vats’ Eeb Allay Ooo! in Berlinale Panaroma
Berlinale Shorts: Ekta Mittal’s ‘Gumnaam Din’ to showcase of pain of separation
Berlinale Talents: Seven Indians Make It to the List
My Salinger Year is the Opening Film at 70th Berlinale
GET READY for EUROPEAN FILM MARKET 2020
BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL 2019 WINNERS
Berlinale Forum Celebrates Golden Jubilee in 2020
Berlinale 2020 Poster Unveiled
British Actor Jeremy Irons Will Be the Jury President of Berlinale 2020
Amit Khanna: The Renaissance Man
Fantastic Friend
THE MEDIA GURU-AMIT KHANNA
STRAIGHT ANSWERS FROM AMIT KHANNA
THE DEFINING DECADE -THE 1990s
10 Achievements of Amit Khanna
Reflections on Amit Khanna
Valuable Moments
India Enchants John Bailey
The Big Bachchan of Bollywood
ETERNAL SUPERSTAR: RAJINIKANTH
IFFI 50 & Fantastic-Lifetime Achievement Award to Isabelle Huppert
INDIA’S FLAGSHIP FILM FESTIVAL TURNS 50
BACK IN BUSINESS WITH A BANG
GET THE BEST OUT OF FILM BAZAAR 2019
Transforming Hollywood from pixels to voxels
Government of India committed to Safeguard IP content: Commerce Secretary
Must do Things at AFM
Why India Attracts Foreign Filmmakers
Pickle at MIPCOM 2019
INDIAN COMPANIES AT MIPCOM
Super Audio: Licensed to Thrill
Jungle Book Season 3 Ready
Issuance of VPL in India
Editor’s Note: 44th Toronto International Film Festival Pickle Sept 2019 Edition
The OSCAR RACE begins HERE…
Seven Indian Indie Filmmakers To Watch
Indian Cinema Of Today: A Culturally Responsive Artifact
Indie Resurgence
Indian Films At Toronto a Sparkling Quartet
IFFI Matters @ 50
Four Indian Films at the Toronto International Film Festival 2019
India Pavilion at Toronto International Film Market 2019
Made in Afghan Film ‘Hava, Maryam, Ayesha’ To Compete at Venice Festival
Keerthy Suresh: The Mahanati of Mahanati. Best Actress, National Film Award
Uttarakhand Bags National Award for Most Film Friendly State
66th National Film Awards Winners for 2018
Watan Adds Colour to Indian Independence Day
dream hampton and Brie Miranda Bryant to Feature in MIPCOM’S Women in Global Entertainment Lunch 2019
Making a Song and Dance of it
NFDC Invites Applications for Production of Films in Indian Languages; Deadline September 8, 2019
IFFI Calls for Entry for Indian Panorama in 50th Edition
Ease of Filming in India
Come, Film In Inida
Why TikTok wants to invest $1 billion in India?
Priyanka Chopra’s The Sky is Pink Set to Premiere in 2019 Toronto Internaitonal Film Festival’s Gala Section
Gitanjali Rao’s Animation Feature Bombay Rose to open Critics’ Week at Venice International Film Festival
76th Venice International Film Festival to Open With Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘The Truth’
Indian Cinema’s Soft Power Misses the Mark in Nirmala Sitharaman’s Maiden Budget Speech
Shahid’s Kabir Singh Becomes Top-Grossing Film of 2019
Finance Minister Proposes FDI Norm Relaxation in Media
Media & Entrtainment as Champion Sector Figures in the Economic Survey 2018-19
Indian Cinema’s Steady Rise on Global Stage
Glimpses of the future
IFFI Marching Towards 50th Edition
Cannes or Netflix? Is Netflix an acceptable remediation for Cannes’ decades-long little regard for Indian Cinema?
Play Small & Live Long Did Wonders for Me
India Pavilion at MIPCOM 2018
Rightstrade to Expand Global Reach Sponsor of AFM® 2020 Online
Pickle December IFFI 50th Year Special Report
One Take Media Co
Pickle Berlinale 2016 Issue
NEW DIRECTOR DUO TO HELM BERLINALE 2020
