Cannes Film Festival 2021 Lineup: Wes Anderson, Sean Penn, And More
The Southern France film festival makes its return with a new list of films competing for the coveted Palm D'Or.
After a year of hibernation, Cannes' famed film festival in Southern France announces its lineup of featured movies competing for the Cannes Palm D'Or. The impressive list features directorial talent from all over the globe.
From the United States, directors Sean Penn and Wes Anderson will be vying for the top prize this year. Penn's film, Flag Day, is an American crime drama starring the director along with his son, Dylan Penn, and Miles Teller, Katheryn Winnick (Vikings), and Josh Brolin (Deadpool). As for Anderson's offering, The French Dispatch, a star-studded cast of Timothee Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, Elisabeth Moss, and more act in the celebration of American journalism.
The festival will open with French director Leos Carax's Annette, a musical film starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Other competing works include Dutch 17th century biographical drama Benedetta from Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct), Casablanca Beats from Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch, and Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's heartfelt drama Drive My Car
While this year's competitive lineup features a record number of female directors, tying with 2019's record, it's not exactly a celebratory feat—only four out of 24 films are directed by women. This includes Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi's The Story of My Wife, starring Lea Seydoux; and French directors Mia Hansen-Love (Bergman Island), second-time competitor Catherine Corsini (LaFracture), and Julia Ducournau (Titane).
New to the festival, this year's event also contains a segment of premieres, where Cannes directors can reveal new films outside of the Palm D'or competition. Films from Korean director Hong Sang-Soo, American director Oliver Stone, and first-time French director Charlotte Gainsbourg will debut their films at Cannes Premiere.
Usually held in May, this year's festival was delayed two months due to the pandemic. The festival will take place from July 6 to 17. For the full list of competing films and premieres, check out the official Festival de Cannes website.
