Cannes 2022: Kirill Serebrennikov, David Cronenberg, Ethan Coen in the festival program

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On the stage in Hamburg, on the screen in Cannes: Works by Kirill Serebrennikow

Photo: Marcus Brandt / dpa

Award-winning directors and international stars: The list of the 18 favorites that will be entered in the main competition in Cannes this year reads like a best-of.

Among the star directors vying for the Palme d'Or are David Cronenberg, Kirill Serebrennikov, the Dardenne brothers and Christian Mungiu.

However, as announced by the Festival General Delegate, Thierry Frémaux, the list is not yet complete.

The festival, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, takes place from May 17th to 28th.

The name of the president of the jury who will succeed Spike Lee is not yet known.

The Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, who presented a film about Donbass in 2018, has also been invited to the festival.

Frémaux had previously announced that he would not receive any official Russian delegations, but left open whether Russian filmmakers would be on the program.

Serebrennikov, who has been under house arrest in Moscow for years, is now presenting »Tchaikovsky's Wife«, a film about his compatriot, the composer Peter Tchaikovsky.

Serebrennikow now lives in Germany.

He has staged a play at Hamburg's Thalia Theater and will also open the Avignon Theater Festival in July.

Cronenberg will show the science fiction film »Crimes of the Future«.

The story is about the human species being the subject of new transformations and mutations.

The Canadian (»Cosmopolis«, »Maps to the Stars«) brought stars like Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux in front of the camera for the film.

Mungiu, who won the Palme d'Or in Cannes in 2007 for »4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days«, shows »RMN«.

The film by the Romanian director and screenwriter is about the history of his country.

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are there with »Tori and Lokita«.

The Belgian film brothers tell the story of a boy and a teenager from Africa who face the difficult conditions of their exile.

Swedish director Ruben Östlund, who won the Palme d'Or for his social satire The Square in 2017, returns with Triangle of Sadness.

A political comedy according to Frémaux.

Tom Cruise announced as guest star

The films shown out of competition also promise a lot of glamor, such as »Top Gun: Maverick«, the sequel to the cult film in which Tom Cruise once again plays the leading role.

The film by the American director Joseph Kosinski continues the action story of the flying ace Maverick in part 2 more than 30 years later.

For the film biopic »Elvis« about the rock star who died in 1977, Baz Luhrmann brought Tom Hanks and Austin Butler in front of the camera.

Also out of competition is »Three Thousand Years of Longing« by Australian director George Miller, who became known with the »Mad Max« film series.

Scottish Oscar winner Tilda Swinton (»Michael Clayton«, »Only Lovers Left Alive«) and Idris Elba (»Beasts of No Nation«) play in the film about questions about the world and humanity.

The festival will open with »Z (Comme Z)« by French composer Michel Hazanavicius (»The Artist«).

According to Frémaux, the film is said to be a vampire comedy.

He is also shown out of competition.

sak/dpa/AFP