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On Friday, May 17, the Festival de Cannes delivered an exceptional experience, overflowing with emotional and cinematic discoveries, leaving an indelible mark on all attendees.
From dawn, the vibrant Croisette welcomed filmmakers, actors and cinephiles. They gathered to celebrate the cinematic arts in all their glory.
In the official competition, the screenings of Emanuel Pârvu’s Three Kilometres to the End of the World and Yorgos Lanthimos’s Kinds of Kindness were met with enthusiastic responses from the audience at the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
Outside the competition, the day featured special screenings such as Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film, which played to full houses. Other notable films included Andrea Arnold’s Bird and Roberto Minervini’s The Damned, showcased under the “Un Certain Regard” and “Cannes Premiere” categories, respectively.
The festival also highlighted debuts with premieres like Julien Colonna’s Le Royaume and Louise Courvoisier’s Vingt Dieux, reflecting the diversity and richness of contemporary cinema explored at the festival.
The day was further marked by the return of iconic stars. Kevin Costner made a notable return to Cannes after twenty years to present his Western film, Horizon, An American Saga. He expressed his pride and gratitude to the festival for including his work in this year’s selection. He shared his enthusiasm for the project which has been close to his heart for 35 years, highlighting Cannes as a global unveiling site for his film. Richard Gere returned with the film Oh, Canada, and Demi Moore graced the red carpet and promoted the horror film The Substance, also in competition.
During a discussion on The Apprentice, a biographical film about Donald Trump, actor Sebastian Stan spoke about the challenge of portraying such a complex and divisive character, emphasizing the intensity of the transformation required for his role.
“There are so many people to observe here; it will serve me for future roles,” remarked Sawyer Spielberg, director Steven Spielberg’s son and an actor experiencing his first Cannes Film Festival, with a film featured in the Directors’ Fortnight.
These moments captivated the audience and underscored the festival’s importance as a platform for significant works and in-depth discussions on cinema and society.
