Cannes 2024

Peter Paul Huth looks at the films of George Miller, Francis Ford Coppola and Ali Abbasi in his coverage of the Cannes Film Festival 2024.

Perhaps the cinema is the ideal place to present questions of fluid identity. In current debates, linguistic sensitivity for particular identities is demanded under the label 'gender-appropriate language'. On the other hand, in 'liquid modernity' (Zygmunt Bauman), gender-specific boundaries are being abolished.

As the Cannes Festival draws to a close, speculation is rife as to who might win the Palme d'Or this year. The New York Times sees two films at the forefront that are universally regarded as favourites. A preliminary summary.

2024 was the year of women in Cannes, and this was clearly reflected in the awards. Although the Palme d'Or went to a man, to the American Sean Baker, his film "Anora" however has a combative female protagonist in Mikey Madsen. In his acceptance speech, Baker dedicated the award to all female sex workers.