Written by Kianna Best on May 29, 2023. Posted in Awards and Festivals

2023 Cannes Film Festival roundup

Over the weekend, the 2023 Cannes Film Festival drew to a close after another eventful gathering of the international film industry. After 11 days of premieres and general screenings in between, jury president Ruben Östlund along with jury members Maryam Touzani, Denis Ménochet, Rungano Nyoni, BrieLarson, Paul Dano, Atiq Rahimi, Damián Szifron and Julia Ducournau made their selection of the winners from a stellar line up of 21 competitors. Amongst the activity of the filmmaker's displays, The Location Guide were there for it all, kept busy by meetings and networking in the Marché  du Film.

 

 

Taking home the Grand Prix was Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest which wowed audiences and the jury alike with its telling of the relationship and life of Auschwitz commandant, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, who strived to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp. Joining in the winning feature films category was Justine Triet’s dissection of the relationships between men and women in Anatomie d’une Chute (Anatomy of a Fall) which was awarded The Palme d’or, and Jury Prize winner Kuolleet Lehdet (Fallen Leaves) by Aki Kaurismäki.

 

 

Tran Anh Hùng took home the award for best director for La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Pot-au-Feu) and Kaibutsu (Monster) directed by Kore Eda Hirokazu garnered Sakamoto Yuji the award for Best screenplay. In the performance categories, Merve Dozdar rook home the best actress award for her role in Kuru Otlar Ustune (About Dry Grasses) directed by Nuri Blige Ceylan, and Kōji Yakusho was awarded best actor for his role in Perfect Days directed by Win Wenders.

 

 

During the festivities of the 2023 instalment of Cannes Film Festival, The Location Guide were on the ground, stationed in the buzz of the Marché du Film and meeting up with faces old and new. From countless meetings to networking events, and even finding the moments to catch a screening or even premiere in between, the team covered all the grounds of the Palais and its surroundings.

 

 

The team immersed themselves in the international gathering of screen sector professionals, visiting events such as the Mongolian Film Councils evening of traditional music performances and impressive acrobatic displays, The China Film Pavilion’s panel on women filmmakers making a space for themselves in the industry, and AFCI, Screen Ireland and Film in Limerick’s networking session.

 

 

Meetings and networking were interjected by the opportunity to sit in the impressive theatres of the Palais, including the Grand Théâtre Lumière where a few team members were front and centre to witness the energy of the first time audiences watched Grand Prix winning The Zone of Interest and the nine-minute standing ovation of Oscar buzz-worthy Killers of the Flower Moon directed by Martin Scorsese. In the Debussy Theatre, history was also captured as Mohamed Kordofani’s, now Freedom prize winning Goodbye Julia became the first Sudanese film in Un Certain Regard.

 

 

For the first year with a stand in the Marché du Film, The Location Guide team absorbed all that this year’s Cannes had to offer. It was great to meet our friends from all over the world, and we want to extend a huge thanks for those who took the time out to come and visit us. We look forward to catching up again at FOCUS 2023 which will be returning to the Business Design Centre in Islington, London from 5-6 December.