Words

Adam Woodward

@AWLies

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will close the 71st Cannes Film Festival

Terry Gilliam’s epic passion project is set to receive its world premiere on 19 May.

This year’s Cannes is shaping up to be a festival full of surprises. The bulk of the Official Selection, which was announced last week, is notable more for the high-profile absentees than for the still impressive list of names who managed to submit their final cuts in time. (For our money the 50th Directors’ Fortnight is where it’s at.) Not to be outdone, however, Festival President Pierre Lescure has confirmed that controversial Danish director Lars von Trier, winner of the Palme d’Or in 2000, will be made persona grata this year – his new film The House That Jack Built, starring Uma Thurman and Matt Dillon, will screen Out of Competition.

Even more excitingly, Terry Gilliam’s long-gestating passion project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has been announced as the Closing Film, though it’s perhaps telling that the film’s premiere coincides with its French theatrical release. Will the epic wait have been worth it? Or will it be a lemon? We’ll find out on Saturday 19 May.

Elsewhere there’s a Competition slot for Cannes regular and previous Palme winner Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose The Wild Pear Tree is joined by Knife + Heart by French filmmaker Yann Gonzalez and Ayka from the Tulpan director Kazakh Sergey Dvortsevoy, winner of the 2008 Un Certain Regard prize. Lastly, Kevin Macdonald’s Whitney Houston documentary, simply titled Whitney, is one of two new Midnight Screenings along with Ramin Bahrani’s HBO-backed Fahrenheit 451, starring Sofia Boutella, Michael B Jordan and Michael Shannon.

Check out the rest of this year’s Cannes line-up here.

Published 19 Apr 2018

Tags: Cannes Don Quixote Lars von Trier Nuri Bilge Ceylan Terry Gilliam

Suggested For You

The Cannes Film Festival just announced its most diverse line-up ever

By David Jenkins

Jean-Luc Godard, Spike Lee and Alice Rohrwacher are set to compete for this year’s Palme d’Or.

Gaspar Noé is unveiling his new film at the 50th Directors’ Fortnight

By David Jenkins

The French provocateur will be joined by Ciro Guerra and Debra Granik at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

The irresistible madness of Orson Welles’ Don Quixote

By Tom Graham

Read the remarkable story of the director’s ill-fated passion project, 400 years on from the death of Miguel de Cervantes.

Little White Lies Logo

About Little White Lies

Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.

Editorial

Design