Cannes Film Festival 2019: Everything you need to know

Hollywood is setting sail for Cannes, and for film and fashion fans it’s an anticipated event. Now in its 72 year, stars from all over the world to grace the red carpet for the most anticipated film premieres of the year – if it’s big at Cannes, it’s a very good sign. It’s also a fantastic showcase for designers; over the years we’ve seen many gowns straight off the runway. Jennifer McShane has all the essential festival details. 

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When it’s happening: 

Preparation is underway as we speak; it takes place from next week on Tuesday, May 14 to Saturday, May 25.

The films:

Opening the film festival is director Jim Jarmusch’s ensemble zombie comedy film The Dead Don’t Die. With Jarmusch’s cast including Tilda Swinton, Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Selena Gomez, Chloe Sevigny and Iggy Pop (playing a zombie no less), amongst others, it will certainly be a star-studded red carpet.

Quentin Tarantino will also premiere his hugely anticipated new film Once Upon A Time in Hollywood at the festival – exactly 20 years after he premiered Pulp Fiction at the festival.

Other notable showings include Terence Malick’s A Hidden Life and Pedro Almodovar’s Pain And Glory starring Penelope Cruz, which will join the other entries in the running to win the Palme d’Or. Cannes has always shown a lot of love to Tarantino and some are already saying he’s bound to nab the coveted top prize but it’s anyone’s game with such a strong selection of film showing this year.

Things are starting to take shape …. pic.twitter.com/FtjaEcJNtb

— Cannes Film Festival (@cannes) May 7, 2019

The jury: 

This year’s jury, which features fewer actors and actresses than usual, is comprised of four women and four men from seven different nationalities.

President Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu will be joined by actresses Elle Fanning and Maimouna N’Diaye (Gardens in Autumn) as well as Oscar-nominated filmmakers The Favourite‘s  Yorgos Lanthimos, and Pawe? Pawlikowski, Polish drama Cold War won Cannes’s best director prize last year

Helmers Kelly Reichardt, whose film Wendy and Lucy played Un Certain Regard in 2008 and Alice Rohrwacher, whose last film Happy as Lazzaro won best screenplay at Cannes in 2018, will be among the judges along with will director Robin Campillo and graphic artistic Enki Bilal.

The after parties:

Cannes may be a film festival but, with a host of gala events, lunches and after-parties on the schedule, the parties mean we’ll get to see some divine fashion statements long after the red carpet is finished.

The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) gala, held at the iconic mansion Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, is the biggest night of Cannes’ social calendar. It’s renowned for its wildly extravagant auction (a stay at Leonardo DiCaprio’s Palms Springs pad was up for grabs in 2016) and was the site of Diane von Furstenberg’s disco runway show.

While we await the main event, you can also scroll up for some best-dressed highlights in recent years.