Cannes competition line-up announced for 2019

New BFI-backed films from Ken Loach and Jessica Hausner are among the films to play in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

18 April 2019

Sorry We Missed You (2019)

The 72nd Cannes Film Festival has announced the line-up for 2019’s official competition section, with new films from Pedro Almodóvar, Terrence Malick, the Dardennes, Ira Sachs and Marco Bellocchio.

Also among the films competing for the Palme d’Or are Sorry We Missed You, directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty, and Little Joe, directed by Jessica Hausner and starring Ben Whishaw and Emily Beecham, both of which are backed by the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding.

Screening out of competition is Asif Kapadia’s Diego Maradona doc as well as the Elton John biopic Rocketman.

Opening with The Dead Don’t Die by Jim Jarmusch, the festival will run from 14 May — 25 May 2019.

Ben Roberts, BFI Deputy CEO, said:

“Congratulations to all the films and filmmakers in selection, and I’m incredibly proud to have two BFI backed films, supported by National Lottery funding, screening in competition. It has been a pleasure to work with both Jessica and Ken and their respective teams on these extraordinary films. As European co-productions, they are also brilliant examples of what can be achieved through our vital creative and economic partnerships with Europe.”

Little Joe (2019)

Official competition

Atlantique, Mati Diop

A Hidden Life, Terrence Malick

Bacurau, Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelles

Frankie, Ira Sachs

It Must Be Heaven, Elia Suleiman

Matthias and Maxime, Xavier Dolan

Oh Mercy!, Arnaud Desplechin

Les Misérables, Ladj Ly

Pain and Glory, Pedro Almodóvar

Little Joe, Jessica Hausner

Parasite, Bong Joon Ho

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma

Sibyl, Justine Triet

Sorry We Missed You, Ken Loach

The Traitor, Marco Bellocchio

The Whistlers, Corneliu Porumboiu

The Wild Goose Lake, Diao Yinan

The Young Ahmed, Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne

Out of competition

La Belle Époque, Nicolas Bedos

The Best Years of a Life, Claude Lelouch

Diego Maradona, Asif Kapadia

Rocketman, Dexter Fletcher

Too Old to Die Young — North of Hollywood, West of Hell, Nicolas Winding Refn

Un Certain Regard

Adam, Maryam Touzani

Beanpole, Kantemir Balagov

A Brother’s Love, Monia Chokri

Bull, Annie Silverstein

Room 212, Christophe Honoré

The Climb, Michael Covino

Evge, Nariman Aliev

Invisible Life, Karim Aïnouz

Joan of Arc, Bruno Dumont

Liberté, Albert Serra

Papicha, Mounia Meddour

Port Authority, Danielle Lessovitz

Summer of Changsha, Zu Feng

The Swallows of Kabul, Zabou Breitman & Eléa Gobé Mévellec

A Sun That Never Sets, Olivier Laxe

Zhuo Ren Mi Mi, Midi Z

Special screenings

Family Romance, LLC., Werner Herzog

For Sama, Waad Al Kateab, Edward Watts

Que Sea Ley, Juan Solanas

Share, Pippa Bianco

To Be Alive and Know It, Alain Cavalier

Tommaso, Abel Ferrara

Midnight screenings

The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil, Lee Won-Tae

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