FOCUS ON CANNES 2019: LES MISÉRABLES —LADJ LY

"Stéphane has recently joined the Anti-Crime Brigade in Montfermeil, in the Paris suburbs. Alongside his new colleagues Chris and Gwada – both experienced members of the team – he quickly discovers tensions running high between neighborhood gangs.

When they find themselves overrun during the course of an arrest, a drone captures their every movement, their every action… Inspired by the riots of 2005, César nominee and Kourtrajmé collective member Ladj Ly explores contemporary Montfermeil, the same place where Victor Hugo chose to set “Les Misérables” in 1862. More than 150 years later, the similarities between today’s angry, hoodie-wearing youth and Gavroche are only too clear."

Ladj Ly's debut narrative feature makes a splash at Cannes by having his debut feature included in the Competition for the Palme d'Or. Festival buzz says Ly's impressive film could take the Palme. The Parisian Ly has worked as an actor and documentary filmmaker, and is notably one of the founding members of the Kourtrajamé artists collective that includes a free film school open to students over 18. Ladj Ly seems to be on the verge of rich career as an auteur.

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FOCUS ON CANNES 2019: THE LIGHTHOUSE —ROBERT EGGERS

The story of an aging lighthouse keeper named Old (Willem Defoe) who lives in early 20th-century Maine. Robert Pattinson stars opposite Willem Defoe in this instant classic two-hander.

Robert Eggers (“The Witch”) is a true renaissance man. Production and costume designer, art director, writer, actor, and director represent Eggers’s resume of work that have brought him to making “The Lighthouse,” a film that promises to make a powerful impact on audiences. This black-and-white darling of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival screens in the old-fashioned style of silent pictures with a 1.19:1 aspect ratio (a nearly perfect square).

I’m really looking forward to seeing “The Lighthouse.” Palm d’Or front-runner you say; you don’t say.

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FOCUS ON CANNES 2019: WILD GOOSE LAKE —DIANO YINAN

The story of a gangster on the run who eventually sacrifices himself to save his family and the woman he encounters along the way.

"Wild Goose Lake" screens in Competition for the Palme d'Or. 

"Wild Goose Lake" is Chinese director, screenwriter, actor Diao Yinan's third directorial effort behind "Uniform" (2003), "Night Train" (which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2007), and "Black Coal, Thin Ice" (Winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. 2014).

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