Spike Lee Says His New Film ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ With Denzel Washington Is Premiering in Cannes, Too

Spike Lee announced that his movie, “Highest 2 Lowest,” featuring Denzel Washington, will debut at Cannes Film Festival outside of the main competition; however, Lee’s film wasn’t revealed during the announcement of the festival schedule on Thursday morning.

I’m thrilled to share that Thierry Frémaux, the delegate general of Cannes, and Iris Knobloch, its president, unveiled the lineup of titles set to premiere at Cannes this May, during a press conference in Paris on Thursday morning.

It contains “The Phoenician Scheme” directed by Wes Anderson, “Nouvelle Vague” by Richard Linklater, and “Eddington” from Ari Aster.

Or, more casually:

We’ve got “The Phoenician Scheme,” “Nouvelle Vague,” and “Eddington” – all directed by Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, and Ari Aster, respectively.

Lee has announced that his feature film, “The Highest 2 Lowest,” starring his brother Denzel Washington, has been invited to the 2025 Cannes International Film Festival. He shared the news just an hour after the festival’s lineup was revealed during the livestream: “Good Morning! Bonjour! Whassup? The new Spike Lee joint – ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ featuring Denzel Washington – has been invited to the 2025 Cannes International Film Festival (in the Out of Competition category).

Lee’s movie is essentially a modern English adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 Japanese film “High and Low,” which was inspired by the 1959 novel “King’s Ransom.” The main cast includes Denzel Washington, Ilfenesh Hadera, Jeffrey Wright, Ice Spice, and ASAP Rocky. The movie is scheduled for a theatrical release with A24 first, followed by streaming on Apple TV+ later.

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It’s common for Cannes to add more films to its lineup after the initial announcement, and during this time, Frémaux mentioned that he had overlooked one title…

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Cannes Film Fest for comment.

2025’s competition schedule boasts a stellar lineup of renowned filmmakers. Notable among them are Kelly Reichardt, making her return to Cannes with the art-heist drama “The Mastermind“, starring Josh O’Connor and John Magaro and set against the Vietnam War backdrop; Joachim Trier, who is returning to the Croisette following his 2021 success (with “The Worst Person of the World“) with “Sentimental Value“, which also features Renate Reinsve; and Jafar Panahi, a dissident Iranian director, who will be back in Cannes competition with his new drama, “A Simple Accident“.

Scarlett Johansson and Harris Dickinson are additionally preparing to make their directorial debuts at this year’s festivals. Thierry Frémaux reviewed a total of 2,909 films during the selection process, breaking a previous record. View the entire lineup for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival here.

The actors Scarlett Johansson and Harris Dickinson are set to make their directorial debuts at this year’s festivals, with Thierry Frémaux reviewing a record-breaking 2,909 films during the selection process. You can find the full lineup for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival here.)

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2025-04-10 15:54