5 Cannes Award-Winning Films to Watch in 2024 | CinemaWorld
The prestigious Cannes Film Festival returns for its 77th edition, promising another riveting showcase of world cinema's finest talents and most captivating narratives. From May 14 - 25, the French Riviera is once again illuminated by the cinematic excellence of this year’s Official Selection.
Among the highly anticipated highlights of the in-competition film contenders is Kinds of Kindness (2024). Following The Favourite (2018) and the highly-acclaimed Poor Things (2023), Kinds of Kindness (2024) is the third collaboration between renowned Greek director, Yorgos Lanthimos and the 2023 Oscars-winning actress, Emma Stone.
Double Palme d’Or winner, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis (2024) is also in the running for the legendary director’s third Palme d’Or. Best known for his groundbreaking works such as The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now (1974), Coppola’s latest work is a project in making for decades and is the American director’s first film in over a decade.
Other contenders vying for the Palme d’Or include Emilia Perez by Audiard, a musical crime comedy set within the realm of Mexican drug cartels and featuring Selena Gomez; The Apprentice by Ali Abbasi, delving into the early business endeavors of former U.S. president Donald Trump.
In a nod to the evolving landscape of cinema, the festival will also shine a spotlight on Asian filmmakers. From the masterful storytelling of Chinese filmmaker, Jia Zhang-Ke in Feng Liu Yi Dai (Caught by the Tides) to the visually stunning narratives of Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light, Asian filmmakers are making inroads to the highly-coveted top prize in-competition.
Asian filmmaking excellence shines brighter in the Un Certain Regard category. Norah has made history for Saudi Arabia as the first film from the country to enter the festival's Official Selection. Audiences can also expect a diverse array of critically-acclaimed Asian narratives, including Black Dog by Chinese filmmaker, Guan Hu, My Sunshine by Japanese director, Hiroshi Okuyama, Santosh by Indian director, Sandhya Suri, and Viet and Nam by Vietnamese filmmaker, Truong Minh Quý.
Notably, the Cannes Film Festival is set to make history with the launch of its first-ever Immersive Competition. Celebrating the convergence of cinema and cutting-edge technology, the competition will showcase eight immersive works that push the boundaries of storytelling through virtual reality and other avant-garde mediums. This groundbreaking initiative underscores Cannes' commitment to embracing innovation and fostering creative experimentation in the world of filmmaking.
As the curtain rises on another edition of this illustrious festival, audiences can expect to be captivated, inspired, and moved by the magic of the silver screen. In celebration of the world’s most glamorous and prestigious film festival, CinemaWorld has curated 5 films who scored nominations and wins in the Cannes Film Festival in past years.
FRANCE
What does it mean to be young and alive?💓 🌱
Love at First Fight follows a small-town college drop-out, Arnaud (Kévin Azaïs), and the apocalyptic-minded Madeleine (Adèle Haenel) into an army bootcamp. Sparks fly as the tough training tests their mettle. With only each other to lean on, the two learn to love bravely as they tread the uncertain grounds of adulthood.
A big winner at the Cannes Film Festival, 2014, Love at First Fight clinched the C.I.C.A.E. Award, the SACD Prize (Director’s Fortnight), the Label Europa Cinemas and the FIPRESCI Prize.
SPAIN/USA/MEXICO
When dreams collide with reality, which will prevail?
Here and There follows Pedro, a Mexican immigrant returning from the United States to his family, carrying with him the dreams of a better life. Winner of the prestigious Critics Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, debut director Antonio Méndez Esparza skillfully crafts a poignant tale that explores the complexities of familial relationships, the yearning for a brighter future, and the sacrifices one must make along the way.
BULGARIA
Can love blossom in a web of lies?
Nominated for both the Golden Camera and Critics Week Grand Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Avé follows the journey of a hitchhiker, Karmen. He meets 17-year-old runaway, Ave, on the roads between Sophia and Ruse, where he is both intrigued and put off by her elaborate and suspicious tales of tragedy. As Ave constantly spins absurd lies and invents new identities for herself and Karmen, the distrust between them heightens. Amidst the bleak Bulgarian landscapes, this young couple find themselves seeking solace and companionship in each other.
ROMANIA/SWEDEN/FRANCE
“... it is a film about people who, like us all, are made up of weaknesses rather than strengths.” - Radu Muntean, Director, One Floor Below
Patrascu, the sole unfortunate witness to a domestic quarrel-turned murder, now finds himself torn between the truth and his conscience. Nominated for the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, catch One Floor Below, a highly subtle and skilfully staged psychological film that was inspired by a real news event.
ROMANIA/TURKEY
Nominated for the Cannes Junior Award in 2022, Brother's Keeper follows a young boy on a mission to seek help for his ailing friend, Memo. Met by apathy and derision on all fronts, Yusuf soon learns that the punishing blizzard trapping them in their boarding school is hardly the most fearsome obstacle he must overcome.
A tale inspired by FIPRESCI Prize-winning director Firet Karahan’s personal experience as a young boy in boarding school. Brother's Keeper is a painful examination of the thin line between oppressors and the oppressed and questions the deep-rooted tradition of fear-driven bureaucracy in schools.
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