The annual Cannes Film Festival returns this week for its 76th edition and Spain has been chosen as the Country of Honour for the upcoming film festival. Spain follows India, which became Cannes' first official Country of Honour in 2022. The industry event launched the initiative last year to spotlight and celebrate different nations at each market edition.
A number of Indian films will be having their outing at the coveted festival – including Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Kennedy’, Rahul Roy starrer ‘Agra’ and Aruna Raje directed ‘Firebrand’.
According to reports, this year actor Anushka Sharma will represent India at Cannes 2023 and honour women in cinema. She will be joined by award-winning British actress Kate Winslet.
Earlier this year, Anushka met the French ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenin, with her cricketer husband Virat Kohli at French Embassy, in New Delhi. The ambassador captioned his social media post with a hint of discussing Sharma's trip to the festival in France.
“A pleasure meeting @imVkohli and @AnushkaSharma! I wished Virat & #TeamIndia all the best for the upcoming tournaments, and discussed Anushka's trip to #CannesFilmFestival,” Lenin tweeted.
Content creator Dolly Singh will also be seen at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
She said: “The Cannes Film Festival has been an important platform for Indian artists to showcase their talent on the international stage. Over the years Indian talent has not only brought Indian cinema to the world stage but has also helped to break down cultural barriers and promote cross-cultural exchange.
“Today I am honoured to be contributing in my own unique way to this exchange and making my debut this year at the festival. From making candles in a small town of Nainital to walking the red carpet at Cannes, I'm truly grateful and excited for this opportunity. This was a long-standing dream and I've finally ticked an important milestone off my bucket list.”
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Actress Manushi Chillar will also attend the film festival, which will take place from May 16 to May 27.
Recently, the organisers unveiled the lineup for the new edition, spotlighting a collection of new works from such mega-watt auteurs as Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Catherine Breillat, Wim Wenders, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Todd Haynes.
These filmmakers will premiere films both in and out of competition, meaning only a select few will have a chance at capturing the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest honour. All of the directors are a familiar presence on the Croisette, having screened movies there before.
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Also, after being criticised for failing to highlight more women in its lineup, Cannes will break its own record with six films from female directors.
(ANI)