Cannes, France: On Tuesday, the Cannes Film Festival, delayed from May to July, will finally open its doors for its 74th edition. The screens will be relit and, maybe, the movies will rekindle some of the romance and grandeur that went dormant this past pandemic year.
Cannes will be the first major film festival to attempt an essentially full edition. There will be no virtual component. No empty seats between (masked) festivalgoers. Attendees are required to be vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 every 48 hours. Ready or not, the throngs will be back on the Croisette, the French Riviera city's main drag.
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Ahead of the opening, final preparations were taking place Sunday, including hanging of the giant posters that adorn the front of the Palais Des Festivals. This year's poster features director Spike Lee, head of the 2021 jury, who will be deciding which film takes home the festival's top prize, Palme d'Or.
The 2021 lineup includes some of the most acclaimed filmmakers in the world — many of whom are Cannes regulars. Among them: Wes Anderson (The French Dispatch), Asghar Farhadi (A Hero), Paul Verhoeven (Benedetta), Jacques Audiard (Paris, 13th District), Bruno Dumont (Par un Demi Clair Matin) and Sean Penn (Flag Day). Some of the movies, like Anderson's, were official selections last year for a festival that never happened.
