Cannes 2022: All films competing for the Palme d’Or

With the 75th Cannes Film Festival coming to a close, all eyes are on the Palme d’Or, the event’s top prize that is presented by the jury to the director of the winning film. Last year, the award went to Julia Ducournau for ‘Titane’, a French thriller revolving around a titanium plate-headed woman who goes on a journey to discover her true identity.

This year’s festival will witness 18 filmmakers compete for the prize. Let us take a look at each one of them. 

Ali Abbasi- ‘Holy Spider’

Ali Abbasi, an Iranian-Danish filmmaker is making his Palme d’Or debut with ‘Holy Spider’, a film about a virtuous man on a mission to “cleanse” the holy streets of a city occupied by sex workers.

Kirill Serebrennikov- ‘Tchiakovsky’s Wife’

The Russian filmmaker sheds light on the tumultuous relationship between composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky and his wife, Antonina Miliukova. Serebrennikov competed in the competition last year with the crime drama flick ‘Petrov’s Flu’. 

Saeed Roustayi- ‘Leila’s Brothers’

While most of the plotline of ‘Leila’s Brothers’ has been kept under the wraps, the project is Roustayi’s third feature film, and marks the first time his work will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Tarik Saleh- ‘Boy From Heaven’

Sweden-born Tarik Saleh’s film is based on the fierce battle for power and glory that arises after the death of an imam in Cairo, Egypt. ‘Boy From Heaven’ marks Saleh’s first screening at the film festival.

David Cronenberg- ‘Crimes of the Future’

Cronenberg is making his sixth visit to the film festival with ‘Crimes of the Future’. The film, starring Kristen Stewart, revolves around how humans begin adapting to synthetic surroundings, which leads to new mutations in their bodies.

Lukas- ‘Dhont Close’

Belgium-born Lucas makes his debut at the festival with ‘Dhont Close’, a film that captures the end of a friendship between two boys, and how one of the boys embarks on a mission to find out the truth.

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi- ‘Les Amandiers’

Tedeschi’s ‘Les Amandiers’ is about four people who apply for an exam to get into a theatre school, and how their lives fall apart in the process. Tedeschi made his screening debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 with ‘Actresses’. 

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Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne- ‘Tori and Lokita’

The Belgian brother-duo find their way back to the French Riviera with ‘Tori and Lokita’, a film about a young boy and girl who do everything in their power to keep their friendship intact amid cruel circumstances. 

Arnaud Desplechin- ‘Brother and Sister’

The French filmmaker’s latest film depicts the lives of a brother-sister duo who haven’t spoken to each other in decades. As destiny comes into play, the siblings reconnect over the death of their parents.

Mario Martone- ‘Nostalgia’

Marton, who last had his film screened at the film festival in the 90s, returns this year with ‘Nostalgia’, a film about a man who heads back to his hometown after four decades and relives experiences, locations, but mostly, his complicated past.

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Kelly Reichardt- ‘Showing Up’

One of the two entries from the United States, ‘Showing Up’ is about a sculptor who tries to juggle between creative pursuits and the domestic drama that unfolds in his life. The film stars Judd Hirsch, Michelle Williams and Hong Chau.

James Gray- ‘Armageddon Time’

Another entry from the US, Gray’s ‘Armageddon Time’ remains a mystery, with a vague description that calls it “a coming-of-age story about growing up in Queens in the 1980s.”

Park Chan-wook- ‘Decision to Leave’

The South Korean filmmaker captures the story of a detective on a mission to determine the cause of the mysterious death of a man who lived in the mountains. Chan-wook made his Cannes screening entry in 2004 with ‘Oldboy’, and walked out of the festival with a Grand Prix award.

Claire Denis- ‘The Stars at Noon’

‘The Stars at Noon’ follows the lives of an English businessman and a headstrong American reporter who start a love affair. The plot thickens when the duo tries to flee the country after getting tangled up in scandalous secrets and lies.

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Ruben Östlund- ‘Triangle of Sadness’

Östlund’s film is about two fashion models who get stranded on an island full of billionaires. The Swedish filmmaker made his Cannes screening debut in 2017 with ‘Involuntary’.

Hirokazu Kore-eda- ‘Broker’

The Japanese filmmaker showcases the lives of those connected to “broker boxes”, an industry where people give up unwanted infants anonymously.

Cristian Mungiu- ‘RMN’

While nothing has currently been revealed about Mungiu’s latest, the filmmaker has previously made headlines at the film festival for his movies like ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’ and ‘Tales from the Golden Age’. 

Jerzy Skolimowski- ‘Eo’

Skolimowski’s ‘Eo’ is an adaptation of Robert Bresson’s ‘Au Hasard Balthazar’. ‘Eo’, which is a contemporary take on the story, revolves around the life of a donkey in a Polish circus. 

Łódź-born Skolimowski has the longest history with Cannes in comparison to this year’s competing filmmakers. The 84-year-old made his screening debut in 1972 with ‘King, Queen, Knave’.