Cannes starts on Tuesday and there are already two stories that could threaten to derail yet another edition of Thierry Frémaux’s little get-together.
Firstly, freelance workers at the festival, living precariously, paycheck to paycheck, threaten to strike over the lack of adequate workplace protections. Per The Guardian:
(I’m not surprised. When I found out what programmers for Directors’ Fortnight actually made (almost nothing), it made me physically sick. If Cannes, the so-called biggest film festival in the world, can’t pay, who can? It always makes me wonder when film critics will collectively withhold their labour. Probably never…)
The second story is equally grave. Alongside the inclusion of Judith Godréche’s short Moi Aussi (me too) in Un Certain Regard, which tackles abuse in the film industry, a secret list might be released. Per The Guardian again:
This list might feature men who have films in Cannes this very week, potentially making for an explosive couple of weeks. I’m sure it’s nothing Thierry “fights-the-police” Frémaux can’t handle…
Can it get worse than the Berlinale-debacle? Time will tell. In the meanwhile, there’s a bunch of movies probably worth pouring over. Subscribe to Journey Into Cinema for reviews of a variety of Critics’ Week, Directors’ Fortnight, Un Certain Regard and Competition entries!