May 12, 2024
Breaking Down the 2024 Cannes Film Festival's LGBTQ+ Films
Matthew Creith READ TIME: 4 MIN.
The 77th edition of the world-famous Cannes Film Festival kicks off on May 14, 2024, and will run until May 25. The international festival will bring together A-list celebrities, global media, and film lovers like we haven't seen in recent years. The film festival's queer offerings are abundant this time around, thanks in large part to the festival organizer's strategy to extend an olive branch to queer filmmakers.
Xavier Dolan, the out Canadian director who was once thought to be retiring from the film industry altogether, has been named Jury President of the prestigious Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. The movies premiering in this category represent unique and non-traditional stories that look to international audiences for acknowledgment of their unusual styles. Though the films in Un Certain Regard are often eccentric in scope, the highly coveted Palme d'Or is reserved for highly publicized projects.
Greta Gerwig, the talented writer and director of last year's smash hit "Barbie," will serve as Jury President of the Main Competition this year, representing a jury that includes director J.A. Bayona, Oscar-nominated actor Lily Gladstone, and French actor Eva Green. Some of the films in competition vying for the Palme d'Or this year include Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis," Yorgos Lanthimos' "Kinds of Kindness" starring Emma Stone, and David Cronenberg's "The Shrouds."
In 2023, the queer courtroom drama "Anatomy of the Fall" competed for the Queer Palm, won the Palme d'Or and went on to win Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Although the films vying for the 2024 Queer Palm have not been announced yet, Out Belgian director Lukas Dhont ("Close") will preside over the section as Jury President. Here are some of the queer offerings at Cannes Film Festival this year:
"Three Kilometers to the End of the World"
Set to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the Romanian feature "Three Kilometers to the End of the World" concerns a community in the Danube Delta. While spending the summer in his hometown, 17-year-old gay teenager Adi is physically attacked and must come to terms with the conservative values his village upholds. Adi goes on a journey to find himself while dealing with parents who no longer view their son the same way they once did.
Directed by Emanuel Parvu, "Three Kilometers to the End of the World" is a coming-of-age story wrapped in self-preservation of the highest order. The film is competing for the Palme d'Or and, most likely, for the Queer Palm.
"Misericordia"
Openly gay director Alain Guiraudie returns to Cannes after his 2013 film "Stranger by the Lake" was awarded Best Director in the Un Certain Regard section. This time around, the French filmmaker will debut his latest project, "Misericordia," a crime thriller set against the backdrop of the quaint town of Saint-Martial. Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) attends his former boss's funeral and stays with his wife, Martine. Conflict arises with Martine's son, Vincent, resulting in a murder of epic proportions. The crime might be this movie's jumping-off point, while an unlikely relationship with a priest might be Jérémie's downfall.
Source: IMDb
"Motel Destino"
Erotic thrillers don't tend to be a rarity at film festivals, and the 77th Cannes Film Festival is no exception. This year, "Motel Destino" is gracing the competition for the Palme d'Or, bringing an exceptional story built around visionary Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz's unique perspective. The queer auteur's 2011 drama "The Silver Cliff" screened in the Directors' Fortnight section of the festival, and Aïnouz returns to Cannes in 2024 with a noteworthy flick.
"Motel Destino" stars Iago Xavier as Heraldo, a 21-year-old on the run from the law who happens upon a Brazilian sex motel run by a married couple (Nataly Rocha and Fábio Assunção). Heraldo's arrival throws the couple's world upside down as loyalties and desires twist together unexpectedly.
"Emilia Perez"
French director Jacques Audiard is a Cannes favorite, most notably for his Marion Cotillard-led romantic drama "Rust and Bone" from 2012. This year, the notable filmmaker is going a bit mainstream with "Emilia Perez," starring Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramirez. The film is competing for the Palme d'Or with Spanish actor Karla Sofía Gascón portraying the titular Emilia Perez.
Gascón plays an escaped Mexican cartel leader who enlists the help of a woman to help the fugitive undergo sex reassignment surgery. Not only does the cartel leader want to affirm the gender they've always believed themselves to inhabit, but the reassignment surgery doubles as a way to evade law enforcement. The controversial film is set to be theatrically released in France in August while attempting to sell to worldwide markets.
"Limonov: The Ballad"
Kirill Serebrennikov is a Russian filmmaker who understands controversy. He was arrested in his home country as retribution for his unwavering activism for LGBTQ+ causes. Much of his stage and screen work surrounds liberal ideas and free speech about sexual orientation, completely undermining the Russian government in the process. His newest film, "Limonov: The Ballad," is set to premiere in competition for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
"Limonov: The Ballad" stars out British actor Ben Whishaw as the real-life Eduard Limonov, a famous Russian writer and ultimate dissident. Highly similar in values and trajectory to Serebrennikov, Limonov represents revolutionary thought and is an ally to the queer community. Taking place in the second half of the 20th century, the film will explore Russian and American relations, political disruption, and gay rights allyship.
