Cannes Film Festival 2025 is all about looking at the present through the past
The loudest cheer at the 78th Cannes Film Festival was reserved for a new black and white movie about the making of a movie some 65 years ago.
Nouvelle Vogue (New Wave) by American director Richard Linklater recreates the scenes of shooting legendary French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard's debut feature film, Breathless, in 1960. Cleverly mixing Godard's radical ideas of filmmaking with famous quotes on art from great minds like Jean-Paul Sartre and Paul Gaugin, Nouvelle Vogue transports today's movie-goer to the middle of the last century, coinciding with an era of counterculture.
Transporting the audience to the past is a unifying theme this year among filmmakers around the world. Nearly half of the movies in the prestigious competition category at the Cannes festival are set in the last century, dating back to times following the First World War, with subtle and sometimes stark warnings of learning from history.
Consider these movies vying for the prestigious Palme d'Or in Cannes:
The great purge by Josef Stalin against dissent in the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1937 is the story of Belarusian-born Sergie Loznitsa's Two Prosecutors.
Sound of Falling by German director Mascha Schilinski, a frontrunner for the festival's top prize, is a dark story of servitude set in the years following the First World War.
Folk songs, war, and relationships mingle in The History of Sound, by South African-born Oliver Hermanus, which begins in America in 1917. American director Wes Anderson's The Phoneocian Scheme, the story of a business family in the United States, is set in the 1950s.
The Secret Agent by Brazilian Kleber Mendonça Filho is set in 1977 when Brazil was under the military regime. The backdrop of Fuori by Italian Mario Martone is Rome in the 1980s when three women forge a bond while serving time in prison.
An art heist in Massachusetts in 1970 during the Vietnam War is the subject of American Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind. Suburban Tokyo in 1987 is the setting for Japanese director Chie Hayakawa's new film, Renoir, which explores the troubled childhood of an 11-year-old witnessing the slow death of her father from cancer.
As stories of the last century appear on the screen many times this year, it becomes overly evident that the filmmakers are trying to address the conflicts in the contemporary world.
Explains Loznitsa, the director of Two Prosecutors, about his film relating the dark history of Stalin's terror to contemporary Russia. 'Unfortunately, these topics will remain relevant as long as there are totalitarian regimes in power anywhere in the world. None of the existing societies, no matter how advanced and democratic, are immune to authoritarianism and dictatorship. This is why I believe that the great purges of the 1930s still need to be studied and reflected upon.'
"Of course, we can say that history is repeating itself," adds Loznitsa, whose previous work, The Invasion, on the war in Ukraine was part of the official selection in Cannes last year. "Times change, circumstances change and technology develops, but the outcome is always tragic. The temptation to achieve one's political goals by the simple and 'effective' means of violence, can prove to be irresistible to the ruling elites of even the most democratic and seemingly incorruptible countries," he adds.
"Among several films related to past events in this year's Cannes selection, two different trends can be identified," says Jean-Michel Frodon, a former editor-in-chief of iconic French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma, where French New Wave directors Godard, Claude Chabrol and François Truffaut were once critics.
"One is strictly inscribed in the past, for instance, the fake, but accurate, fictional making of Breathless by Richard Linklater. It is not pretending to relate with the present, except if seen as providing a contrast effect with now, where similar major breakthroughs in the art of cinema are hardly to be found," says Frodon.
"More significant are the films set in the past that actually address the present. Sergei Loznitsa makes it very clear that what is shown during the Stalinist terror in Two Prosecutors openly echoes the Putin regime today," says Frodon, a member of the Golden Peacock competition jury at the International Film Festival of India, Goa in 2009.
The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendoça Filho, mostly happens during the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1970s, but a few contemporary scenes with a young woman researching these events that happened half a century before testify that the movie is even more about today than about history.
The common theme of leaning to the past repeats itself in the festival's selection outside the competition category, too. Globally acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz goes back to the time of the colonisation of Asia by European powers in his new film, Magellan, part of the Cannes Premiere section. The film gives artistic insights into Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan's conquest and conversion, leading to mutiny and violence, and ultimately his death in the Philippines in 1521.
Among other films exploring history are Turkish-origin German director Fatih Akin's Amrum set in the final months of the Second World War, Orwell: 2+2=5 by Haitian director Raoul Peck examining English novelist George Orwell's publication of his dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949 and the escape of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele in Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov's The Disappearance of Josef Mengele.
"The fictional films set in the previous years, decades, or even centuries are more to enlighten the present than to escape from it," says Frodon.
The Cannes Film Festival concludes on May 24.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
The Waterfront: Everything You Need to Know About the Buckley Family and Their Fishing Empire in This Eight-Part Thriller
The Waterfront , a gripping new American drama series , is capturing the attention of viewers who enjoy emotionally charged family thrillers like Ransom Canyon. Created by Kevin Williamson and inspired by real events, this eight-episode series delves deep into the tangled lives of the Buckley family , set against the backdrop of a struggling restaurant and fishing empire . Set in the fictional coastal town of Havenport, North Carolina, the series follows the Buckleys as they navigate their fading business, buried secrets, and growing betrayals. What starts as a tale of a family trying to save their legacy soon spirals into a high-stakes drama filled with emotional turmoil and morally complex choices. A Family on the Brink of Collapse At the heart of The Waterfront are Harlan Buckley and his wife Belle, who together manage the family's once-thriving restaurant and fishing operation. Their children, Cane and Bree, are caught in the crossfire of family loyalty and personal ambition. Adding further complexity is Harlan's son from a previous relationship, Shawn West, making him the half-brother to Cane and Bree. The Buckleys are the backbone of Havenport's local economy. But as profits decline and the pressure mounts, the family begins to unravel. Illegal activities and questionable decisions slowly infect both the business and their personal relationships. Each family member has something to lose—and they're willing to risk everything to protect what's theirs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What She Did Mid-Air Left Passengers Speechless medalmerit Learn More Undo Generational Ties and Family Tensions Cane Buckley is married to Peyton and has a daughter named Savannah. Bree, his sister, has a son named Diller with her husband Rodney Hopkins. The cousins, Savannah and Diller, often find themselves unwittingly entangled in the family's internal conflict. Meanwhile, Shawn West, Harlan's son with his former partner Bebe, adds another layer of tension as he steps into the Buckley legacy with motives of his own. Control, Secrets, and Consequences Despite the picture-perfect image the Buckleys project to the public, the family is driven by a need to control, manipulate, and survive. One decision can ripple across generations—affecting parents, children, and grandchildren alike. With each episode streaming on Netflix , The Waterfront peels back the layers of a family caught between power and collapse.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
India's biggest flop film was produced by Ratan Tata, made for Rs 80 crore, film earned only Rs…, even Amitabh Bachchan couldn't save it, movie is…
India's one of the most respected and renowned business leaders, Ratan Tata, passed away at the age of 86 in 2024. Apart from being a known and loved businessman, Ratan Tata also had a brief connection with Bollywood. Interestingly, Ratan Tata also produced a film which had Amitabh Bachchan in it. He invested in the film, but even a big name like Amitabh couldn't save it from flopping. While you may feel curious about the film produced by Ratan Tata, let us make it easy for you by telling you the name. It is Bipasha Basu and John Abraham's erotic thriller Aetbaar. About The Film Produced by Ratan Tata Aetbaar was released in 2004 and featured Bipasha Basu and John Abraham in lead roles. The movie is about how a woman wants to get rid of her husband, and for that, she traps an unemployed man as the killer of her husband. The movie is helmed by Vikram Bhatt and also starred Supriya Pilgaonkar. The movie was inspired by the 1996 American film Fear. Though the film was a huge flop, stories from the set often emerge. One such incident was shared by John Abraham, when he revealed that he was once denied entry to the film's muhurat shot. In an interview with Filmfare, he recalled, 'When I arrived for my first muhurat shot, I came on a motorcycle. The film was Aetbaar, and Hrithik Roshan and Amitabh Bachchan were there to clap the board for me. Hrithik and I were classmates—he's a sweetheart. But when I reached the venue, the security stopped me at the gate and asked, 'Who are you?' I told them, 'This is my film's muhurat,' but they didn't recognize me and refused to let me in.' He added, 'Finally, after some convincing, they opened the gates, and I saw Amitabh Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan waving at me, calling me in. That was my first time—it happened at Sujeet Kumar's house.'
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Sunjay Kapur's sister opens up on not speaking to him for last 4 years over ‘sibling squabble', shares rare pics; ex-wife Karisma Kapoor stands with Priya Sachdev at prayer meet
A prayer meet for industrialist Sunjay Kapur, who passed away in London last month after suffering a cardiac arrest, was held in Delhi on Sunday. His ex-wife, actor Karisma Kapoor, also attended the prayer meet with their children Samaira and Kiaan. Her younger sister Kareena Kapoor and brother-in-law Saif Ali Khan were also there at the prayer meet. Sunjay's blended family put up a united front as Karisma and her children stood with Sunjay's wife Priya Sachdev Kapur and his mother. The photo is being widely shared online. In the photo, Priya can be seen sitting in a white suit with her hands folded while Karisma is seen standing behind her. They are surrounded by the children. Priya and Sunjay have a son together, Azarias. Sunjay passed away during a polo match when he allegedly swallowed a bee, that might have led to the heart attack. He was 53. See photo of Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur's wife Priya Sachdev together: A post shared by Instant Bollywood (@instantbollywood) Before Sunjay, Priya was married to American hotelier and actor Vikram Chatwal and they had a daughter Safira Chatwal together. Safira too was very much a part of Sunjay Kapur's life. Meanwhile, Kareena Kapoor was also seen visibly shaken as she spoke to others at the prayer meet. Saif Ali Khan was seen conversing with other guests at the meet. Actor Neha Dhupia was also spotted at Sunjay Kapur's prayer meet. A post shared by Pallav Paliwal (@pallav_paliwal) A post shared by Instant Bollywood (@instantbollywood) Sunday's sister Mandhira Kapur also shared an emotional post remembering the late businessman. She also expressed her grief of not talking to him for the last 4 years. 'My brother and I may not have spoken for the last 4 years, a silly sibling squabble escalated to crazy levels due to egos and natural bullishness, however, that will never take back what we were and what we had,' she wrote as she shared photos from their childhood. She added, 'The phenomenal times we experienced, a privileged childhood of happiness with 2 wonderful parents, the secrets we would keep, the staying up late and sneaking out of the house even later, the stupid in-jokes that the 3 of us kept going for years, the hours of laughter we shared whilst others would stare at us in utter confusion. He always looked after me and my sister, a true big brother and a friend.' 'What happened towards the end has been both horrible and pointless, I will never have my moments with him again. We will never be us and it is devastating that we didn't fix what had become broken and so now my heart is the same. I am sure he knew despite our recent estrangement that I loved him and in my soul I am sure he shared the same hope as I, that one day we would be as amazing as we were for the first 47 years. Of this I am sure and take some small comfort. I miss my dear brother and to think I will never see him again in this life is a hard truth, I know he is now with Dad and one day we will all be together once more but it is not enough,' she added. 'Thank you to everyone for all of your condolences, sincere wishes and kind words. 🙏🏻,' she wrote. She concluded by saying, 'To anyone and everyone who has fallen out with someone they love, be it family or friend, please learn from my story, life is fragile and delicate, each day is a gift, do not miss a day even an hour in some fickleness, you can never be assured that you will have the opportunity to repair the void and if you don't, then that's pretty much all that is left, coupled with regret. I would give anything to just see my bhaiya one last time and tell him how much I love him.' See Sunjay Kapur's childhood pictures: A post shared by Mandhira Kapur (@mandhirakapursmith) A post shared by Mandhira Kapur (@mandhirakapursmith) Sunjay's first wife, Nandita Mehtani, also responded to the post. Sunjay Kapur's funeral was held in New Delhi on June 19. Karisma Kapoor's ex-husband and businessman Sunjay died on June 12 in London, United Kingdom.
