Wes Anderson’s ‘French Dispatch’ Among Cannes 2020 Lineup

Wes Anderson’s star-packed “The French Dispatch,” Francois Ozon’s “Summer 85,” Naomi Kawase’s “True Mothers” and Maiwenn’s “DNA” are among the 56 movies which will receive a Cannes 2020 label as part of the festival’s eclectic Official Selection.

Due to the health crisis, the roster was announced on Wednesday evening by Cannes’ artistic director Thierry Fremaux and president Pierre Lescure during a TV interview that aired on Canal Plus, instead of the traditional press conference.

As many other titles on this lineup, these three films were initially tipped for the festival before it canceled its physical edition in April and sticked with the French Riviera-set fest for various reasons, ranging from loyalty to distribution/marketing strategy.

Although there won’t be a physical festival, the selected movies will get the opportunity to get world premieres in the real world thanks to alliances forged between Cannes and other festivals, notably Toronto and San Sebastian which have accepted to consider labeled films for competitive sections. But in the absence of a virtual Cannes festival, there won’t be a jury, meaning that no Palme d’Or will be delivered this year.

On Tuesday, Fremaux sent out a letter giving out some key figures about this year’s roster and said the selection committee had received a record 2,067 features for consideration in spite of the health crisis and subsequent cancelation of the physical edition. Fremaux also said feature debuts are comprising 26.7% of the selection with 15 pics. The lineup also includes 16 films directed by women, two more than last year.

More to come…