Film Fests 2024: Shah Rukh Khan Excites Locarno, ‘Anora’ Seduces Cannes, Erotic Fare Turns on Venice

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As someone who has spent years immersed in the world of cinema, I must say that this year’s film festival season has been nothing short of extraordinary. From the glamour of Cannes to the chill of Camerimage, each event has offered a unique blend of artistry, controversy, and star power.

2024’s global film festival scene catered to a wide range of preferences – including critically acclaimed Lithuanian art-house productions like “Toxic” and “Drowning Dry”, which won at Locarno, as well as popular picks such as Sean Baker’s “Anora” and Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez”. This mix spanned the spectrum, offering a hefty dose of stardom to go along with it.

Various cinematic gatherings, like Poland’s Camerimage, faced controversy, while others enhanced their prestige; Switzerland’s Locarno Festival, for instance, solidified its position among the world’s elite events, and Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic reaffirmed why it is hailed as Central Europe’s grandest summer film bash.

Here’s a look at The Hollywood Reporter highlights of the 2024 film festival season.

At Cannes, notable highlights included “Anora”, “Emilia Pérez”, and the body horror film “The Substance” featuring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. These were some of the standout premieres on the Croisette. “Anora” won the Palme d’Or for its story about a young Brooklyn woman, portrayed by Mikey Madison, who unexpectedly marries an oligarch’s son, captivating the festival with its charm.

In a captivating performance, Emilia Pérez’s stars – Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez – enchanted viewers, Netflix officials, and the French Academy through their singing and dancing. This earned the trans crime musical a spot on Netflix and France’s contender for the International Oscar. Similarly, Coralie Fargeat’s film “The Substance” brought attention to director Fargeat, Qualley, Dennis Quaid, and led Moore to experience a remarkable career resurgence.

2024’s Cannes Film Festival also showcased several noteworthy films, such as Payal Kapadia’s bittersweet comedy-drama titled “All We Imagine as Light“, which was the first Indian film to compete on the Croisette since 1994. Other notable mentions include Walter Salles’ Brazilian Oscar contender “I’m Still Here“, winner of the best screenplay prize at Cannes, Yorgos Lanthimos’ film “Kinds of Kindness“, Gints Zilbalodis’ 3D animated survival adventure “Flow“, Magnus von Horn’s post-World War I drama “The Girl With the Needle“, Guy Maddin’s film about confused world leaders at a G7 summit titled “Rumours“, and Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig“, a story about an Iranian family falling apart.

During late June in the Czech Republic, the vibrant Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is just around the corner. The upcoming 2024 event, marking its 30th year under the guidance of President Jirí Bartoska, continues to uphold its unique charm that has earned it the title of Central Europe’s biggest summer cinema bash.

Initially, the lineup showcased an array of bold, boundary-pushing, even eccentric-sounding movies. These ranged from a Czech film exploring pig slaughter, a movie centered around a potential devil baby, a documentary focusing on rocks, and the eventual winner of the top award, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things, directed by Mark Cousins about Scottish artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, renowned for her abstract paintings, with Tilda Swinton providing the narration.

I was utterly captivated by the exciting blend of experiences at the event, starting with an electrifying opening night concert from the electronic music band Kosheen. The party atmosphere added to the fun! True to form in Karlovy Vary, the stars graced the charming Czech spa town. Among the illustrious attendees this year were Viggo Mortensen, Daniel Brühl, and Clive Owen. To make it even more star-studded, Benicio del Toro was featured in this year’s KVIFF trailer, which always showcases a major celebrity.

At the 77th Locarno Film Festival, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, affectionately known as “King Khan,” captivated crowds in Piazza Grande with his star power and was bestowed a Lifetime Achievement award. The event saw fans ecstatically expressing their love, cheering, taking pictures, and creating an unforgettable atmosphere for the esteemed actor. Throughout the evening, SRK kept the crowd entertained with humor, stories, and his charisma, leaving many still calling out his name long after the festivities had ended.

Lithuania might be proud of having two films in Locarno’s primary competition, as Saulė Bliuvaitė was recognized with the Best Film award for her first feature film “Toxic“, which delves into the complexities of human physiology and enigmatic modeling agencies. Additionally, Laurynas Bareiša’s “Drowning Dry” garnered accolades with Laurens Bareiša receiving the Best Director honor and a performance award for its talented cast ensemble.

In the awards ceremony, the distinctive jury prize was given to Austrian filmmaker Kurdwin Ayub, born in Iraq, for her second fiction film titled “Mond” (Moon). The movie narrates the story of Sarah, a former martial artist played by Florentina Holzinger, as she leaves Austria to train three wealthy Jordanian sisters.

Erotic movies turn on Venice, but stars’ snubs turn off the press.
Sizzling, not sizzle reels got a big spotlight during the 2024 Venice film festival as sex and passion were front and center. Among the erotic fare, Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson got hot and heavy in Halina Reijn’s Babygirl, while Daniel Craig dove into obsessive gay desire in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer. Plus, fans of sex on the beach scenes were enticed by Alfonso Cuarón’s series Disclaimer.

Towards the culmination of the Venice Film Festival, Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language film, “The Room Next Door”, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, was dubbed the standout movie, winning the prestigious Golden Lion for Best Film. Meanwhile, Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist”, featuring Adrian Brody and Felicity Jones, received the Silver Lion as a distinguished honor.

Despite the buzz of anticipation, some foreign journalists found frustration instead at the Camerimage festival in Toruń, as they were unable to interview big names like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney. This was because these A-list celebrities skipped the “junket” sessions, where movie casts meet with journalists from around the world.

Camerimage stirs up controversy.
The Camerimage festival in Toruń sparked controversy due to criticisms leveled against its founder Marek Żydowicz for his contentious remarks, which led to a wave of criticism from the industry. As a result, esteemed guests such as Oscar winner Steve McQueen and director Coralie Fargeat decided to withdraw their attendance in protest.

Approximately a week before the festival began, he sparked a fiery controversy with an article published in Cinematography World magazine. In this piece, it appeared as though he was implying that advocating for more female cinematographers at Camerimage could potentially lead to a drop in artistic quality of the films selected. However, Oscar-winning actress and festival main competition jury president Cate Blanchett, along with her fellow jurors, released a joint statement stressing: “We encourage discussions on gender representation,” and “we are fully committed to promoting genuine diversity and inclusivity.

The charged atmosphere was only heightened by the festival’s decision to screen the world premiere of Rust, the Alec Baldwin-starring indie Western that resulted in the accidental on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Some DPs took to social media to argue that the decision was a promotional move undertaken in poor taste. The fact that the demand for Rust tickets crashed the fest ticketing system seemed like a smaller issue compared to all the other debate. Amid all the controversy, you may have missed the fact that von Horn’s earlier-mentioned The Girl With the Needle won the Golden Frog at Camerimage.

A multitude of prominent celebrities graced the scene at the Red Sea International Film Festival’s fourth edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during December. The opening night was a star-studded event, with luminaries like Cynthia Erivo from Wicked, Michelle Yeoh, Emily Blunt, Vin Diesel, jury president Spike Lee, Michael Douglas, Eva Longoria, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Will Smith making their grand entrance on the red carpet. In fact, the opening night was overflowing with talent that Vin Diesel humorously remarked on stage: “There might be more familiar faces here than in some American awards shows.” The festival continued to draw celebrities such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Viola Davis, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas, and Jeremy Renner.

During the closing ceremony, Davis and Chopra Jonas, as well as the award recipients, were all recognized, with Red Path taking the lead.

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2024-12-27 13:25