The choice to feature Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as ‘Thelma & Louise’ on the official poster of the upcoming 79th edition of the Festival de Cannes seems baffling. Until you dig deeper…
The Poster
“Thirty-five years after Ridley Scott’s movie premiered in Cannes on May 20, 1991, Thelma & Louise are back as heroines on the official poster,” read the recent announcement from the festival to press and members of the industry. But why this poster and why now, I wondered? Now that the Festival de Cannes promise of “5050 X 2020” has long come, and gone. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, it was an initiative presented in Cannes by the Swedes in 2016, which then took on a bigger format when, in 2018 82 women, led by Cate Blanchett and the late Agnès Varda, marched up the Palais steps to protest gender inequality in the film industry. It was followed by a public promise by Festival Director Thierry Frémaux to create more spaces in the Official Selection for women filmmakers.
Fast forward to the 2026 program and there are five women helmers in the Competition for the Palme d’Or in Cannes, roughly 24% of the total number of directors. Of those five, three are French. So where is the equality? And more importantly perhaps, is that what we really want? To have equal numbers at the price of great entertainment… I don’t think that’s a problem, having watched my share of great women directed projects this year, but to change the ratio we also need to change the entire ecosystem. No more favors for male journalists who have traditionally better credentials than their female counterparts and more women in cinema, as a whole. Once we achieve that, we achieve complete equality, not just at the highest levels.
One great sign that things are changing was the speech by Cannes President Iris Knobloch during the official press conference unveiling the selection for the upcoming festival. She spoke at length and inspiringly and it was a pleasure to watch her capture the attention of the journalists with her well-thought out speech. Perhaps the Thelma & Louise nod is for her, for all the “badness” and coolness Knobloch brings to Cannes, wrapped up in all her glamorous, Hitchcock blonde persona.
“These two unforgettable fighters turned the tables and shattered a few gender stereotypes, both societal and cinematic; they embodied absolute freedom and unwavering friendship; they showed the way to emancipation when it becomes vital. Remembering this today means celebrating the road already covered, without overlooking what still remains ahead.”
The Films
A recent press release added one more title to the Competition line up and completed Un Certain Regard, which Frémaux had confessed was only half filled. Among the titles announced on April 22nd were James Gray’s highly anticipated Paper Tiger, starring Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller, Adam Driver and Michael Alix. The title was teased by Frémaux during the press conference earlier in the month, as being still in negotiation, and will bring a much-desired star power to the red carpet in Cannes. But don’t be fooled, stars are everywhere on the Croisette and some of the best films are actually those not starring household names, rather featuring wondrous stories from all over the world.
So, in Un Certain Regard, the special section dedicated to up and coming filmmakers who have already, often, staked their place at the heavyweights’ tables, there are a few titles including American film critic turned film director Zachary Wigon’s Victorian Psycho, starring Maika Monroe, Thomasin McKenzie, and Jason Isaacs; Greek helmer Konstantina Kotzamani’s first feature Titanic Ocean; and closing film Ulysse by French filmmaker Laetitia Masson.
In the Cannes Premiere section a brilliant Haitian-French film by Gessica Généus titled Mary Magdalene and Géraldine Nakache’s Si tu penses bien, starring Monia Chokri, about a love story that begins in Dubai.
In the Special Screenings, Diego Luna’s next directorial venture Ashes, based on the novel by Brenda Navarro, will world premiere; as will Le Triangle d'or by Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz, starring Palestinian actor Ziad Bakri.
For a complete list of titles, check out this article in Screen.
A Jury of peers
Park Chan-wook, photo by © Lee Seung-hee
Final last words belong to the Jury President this year in Cannes, South Korean writer, director and producer Park Chan-wook, who candidly disclosed, as his presidency was announced: “The theater is dark so that we may see the light of cinema. We confine ourselves within the theater so that our souls may be liberated through the window of film. To be enclosed in a theater to watch films, and enclosed again to engage in debate with the members of the Jury, this double, voluntary confinement is something I await with great anticipation. In this age of mutual hatred and division, I believe that the simple act of gathering in a theater to watch a single film together, our breaths and heartbeats aligning, is itself a moving and universal expression of solidarity.”
Credits of the official poster of the 79th Festival de Cannes: Photo by Roland Neveu, on the set of ‘Thelma & Louise’ (Ridley Scott, 1991) © MGM Studios / Graphic design © Hartland Villa