The Cannes Film Festival has chosen to showcase the works of two filmmakers twice in their 2023 selection, along with featuring multiple members of the Depp family. In their official selection announcement on Thursday morning in Paris, the 76th Cannes Film Festival included a mixture of both seasoned veterans and promising new voices in the industry. As expected, films from festival regulars such as Ken Loach, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Todd Haynes, Nanni Moretti, and Wes Anderson were highlighted in the selection. However, Cannes also maintained its reputation for discovering fresh cinematic talent, as evidenced by the inclusion of newcomers like Senegalese director Ramata Toulaye Sy, whose debut feature Banel & Adama was showcased in the main competition, and the first-ever Mongolian film to receive an invitation to the festival, If Only I Could Hibernate, by Zoljargal Purevdash, which screened in Un Certain Regard.
While the 2023 Cannes program announcement featured many familiar names, it also included a few surprises. Notably, a couple of filmmakers were selected twice for the festival. Wim Wenders, the acclaimed German director known for films like Wings of Desire and Paris, Texas, is still going strong at 77 years old and will be featured twice at the Cannes Palais in 2023. His Tokyo-based drama, Perfect Days, which stars the renowned Japanese actor Koji Yakusho, will be showcased in the festival's main competition. Additionally, his latest documentary, Anselm, a 3D profile of the German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer, will also have its premiere during a special screening. Cannes festival director Thierry Frémaux revealed that upon hearing the news of his dual honor, Wenders joked about whether he had the energy to defend two films simultaneously from Cannes' notoriously fierce critics, but he promised to do his best.
Wim Wenders won't be the only filmmaker with the honor of being selected twice for the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Wang Bing, a renowned Chinese documentary maker known for works such as Fengming, a Chinese Memoir (2007) and The Ditch (2010), will also be given the Cannes double-bill treatment. He will premiere his latest documentary, Youth, a portrait of Chinese youth, in the festival's main competition. This is the only documentary in the festival's top tier this year. Additionally, his highly anticipated documentary, Man in Black, described by Thierry Frémaux as "the story of a witness of the cultural revolution and its wrongdoings," will have a special screening.
Another doubling in the Cannes lineup is the Depp family's double presence. As previously announced, Johnny Depp's latest film, Jeanne du Barry, in which he portrays French King Louis XV for French director Mäiwenn, will open the festival. Meanwhile, his daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, will walk the Cannes red carpet for the out-of-competition premiere of HBO series The Idol from Sam Levinson and Canadian pop star The Weeknd. Given the possibility of an impending recession, perhaps the Depp family should consider sharing a yacht for the festival.
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