A film about a prostitute won the Palme d’Or at Cannes

Cannes —The American director Sean Baker won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for “Anora”a film that has prostitution as one of its central themes and is based on the relationship between a dancer who becomes an escort (Mikey Madison), and is in a relationship with the billionaire son of a Russian oligarch (Mark Eydelshteyn). “Anora” It is the third film of Baker which was exhibited in Cannes, after “The Florida Project” and “Red Rocket.” Baker dedicated the Palm to “all sex workers, past, present and future.”

The Grand Prize, presented by Viola Davis, it was for “Everything We Imagine as Light”, by Payal Kapadiathe first Indian film to participate in Cannes since 1994. The Iranian political melodrama “The seed of the sacred fig”from the dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled Iran a few weeks before the festival, received the Special Jury Prize.

The protagonist of “Emilia Perez“, of Jacques Audiardwon the award for best actress, being so Karla Sofia Gascón in the first trans actress to win at Cannes. “Emilia Pérez” also received the Jury Prize. AND Jesse Plemmons was best actor for “Kinds of Kindness”, by Yorgos Lanthimos.

Finally, Francis Ford Coppola who returned empty-handed from their disputed “Megalopolis”gave him a lifetime achievement award to his colleague and friend George Lucas, the creator of “Star Wars.”

This was the first year, in a long time, that Argentina was not present with a stand in Cannes. But, curiously, six, out of a total of one hundred and fifty films exhibited at the largest Festival in the world, were originally from our country. It is true that in neither of the two major sections (Official Competition, Un certain regard) was Argentina present.

Also that “Transmitzvah” by Daniel Burman, only had a single screening at the Cinéma de la Plage, a stage usually reserved for classic films. At least there is the consolation that Critics’ Week, a parallel section, awarded its biggest prize to “Simon of the Mountain”, by debutant Federico Luis.

Two of the six Argentine titles are classics from very different eras. The restored version of “Rosaura at ten”, by Mario SofficiPresented by Luis Alberto Scalella, director of Argentina Sono Film and president of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). And in the aforementioned beach cinema, the restored version of “Nine Queens” recently seen in theaters in our country

The remaining two films, out of a total of six, went to ACID (“On Sundays more people die”of Iair Said) and to the Filmmakers’ Fortnight (“Something old, something new, something borrowed”, by Hernán Roselli).

Very medium festival

In 2024 there is majority agreement among critics that the average quality of the films exhibited has been lower than the previous edition. Probably the greatest expectations were placed on “Megalopolis”, by Francis Ford Coppolaa production that, having exceeded a budget of one hundred million dollars and with veteran actors such as the duo of “Lost in the Night” (Dustin Hoffman and John Voight), who contributed little to their consecrated careers.

The only curiosity, surely already seen in the past, was the appearance at one point during the projection of a person, armed with a microphone and moving in front of the screen. This effect will surely not be repeated when “Megalopolis” be commercially exhibited on the world’s screens.

Among the most relevant events it is worth mentioning the double tribute to Meryl Streep in the successful opening ceremony and the conversation with the public the next day, while a large number of films from his relevant artistic career were reviewed.

There was a lot of French cinema, quite a bit of North American cinema, and little Latin American contributionsaving Argentina and a little Brazil, although the film “Motel Destino” by Karim Ainouzdid not deserve to be included in the official Competition, being poorly received by critics and the public.

The Market (Marché) increased its tendency towards an oligopoly, in which large companies have acquired in advance or specify their offers of a “package” for all of Latin America. Luckily this is not always the case and it is the case that the French film “Le deuxieme acte”, which inaugurated the festival, was acquired by an independent distributor for all of Latin America. However, it is the platforms – think that Netflix was prohibited from entering the official Competition a few years ago – that appear to take the lion’s share of the major production, even if they do not premiere in theaters.

Curiosities of the Festival: on three occasions, “Modern Love” by David Bowie appears: during the inauguration and in at least two films. Does it justify appearing in the Guinness?

Another: for the first time an animated film had a concrete chance of winning the Palme d’Or. We are referring to “The most precious of merchandise” from the director Michel Hazanavicuius (“The Artist”), where the much-frequented theme of the Shoah is presented here in an unusual format. And where he is excited to hear as a narrator, the voice of someone very dear to him, Jean Louis Trintignantdied shortly after the recording ended.

A local newspaper echoed the high costs of the Festival, particularly the hotel offering. With almost 40,000 visitors (mostly Market and Production/Sales) in the 120 hotels in Cannes, the price multiplied by five, compared to its value in November, for example. Numbers that give chills: Rooms in five-star hotels rent between 1,500 and 2,000 euros per night. But these are not the highest numbers since the same establishments charge around 7,000 euros per day for a suite facing the sea..

Finally, at the time of the Palmares let us point out that whoever did not fairly obtain any was “Marcello Mio”, by Christophe Honoré. A close journalist had told us, before its presentation in Cannes and by reading the script, absolutely failed tribute to Mastroiannidespite having his daughter Chiara as “alter ego” and her mother (Catherine Deneuve) in the distribution. The colleague was not wrong: the fiasco was total.

In compensation and unfortunately out of competition and in the inconsequential Cannes Première section, a gem. Is about “In fanfare” from French Emmanuel Courcol. The good news: it was acquired to be shown in cinemas in Argentina. The theme includes very human issues such as two brothers who learn of their existence almost by chance, when one needs a transplant.

The other is the music that unites them, since one is a great conductor and the other a modest saxophonist in a village band (fanfare). The surprise, at the end of the screening, the twenty royal members appeared in the large room where it was exhibited and the applause and excitement lasted for more than ten minutes.

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