By Charles Mgbolu
Cannes Film Festival 2024 has opened in the resort town of Cannes, Southern France, with top international and African celebrities pausing to take glittering picture-perfect poses on the red carpet on opening night.
The 77th edition of the event runs from May 14 to 25 and will have 22 films competing for the Palme d'Or, which is perhaps the festival’s most coveted award, and more than 50 other films also premiering outside of the main competition.
African films and filmmakers stand gallantly in the spotlight at this year’s event, with over 20 films making their global premieres at the prestigious event.
Somali filmmaker Mo Harawe’s debut feature film, 'The Village Next to Paradise', was selected to premiere in the Un Certain Regard category alongside the comedy drama film 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl' by Zambian filmmaker Rungano Nyoni.
The Village Next to Paradise tells the inspiring story of a family must navigate between their different aspirations and the modern complex world they live in. Love, trust, and resilience will have to power them through obstacles to their life paths.
Another bold entrance is in the Director’s Fortnight lineup category which features the musical dramas 'Everybody Loves Touda' by multi-award-winning Moroccan producer Nabil Ayouch and 'East of Noon' by Egyptian filmmaker Noora Elkoussy.
Egypt's Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir’s will have their 'Rafaat Einy ll Sama' (The Brink of Madness) film feature during Cannes’ International Critics Week, alongside Morrocan filmmaker Saïd Hamich Benlarbi’s drama ‘La Mer Au Loin’ (Across the Sea) and 'Animale' by Algerian film producer Emma Benestan.
La Mer Au Loin tells the enchanting story of the life of a migrant and the deep psychological wounds unleashed by the scourge of human trafficking.
Festival director Thierry Fremaux told Variety Magazine more than 2,000 films were submitted for this year’s edition.
The screening jury is led by Greta Gerwig and will have special appearances by American legendary actors Kevin Costner, Uma Thurman, Demi Moore, and Chris Hemsworth.
American actress Meryl Streep is set to receive an honorary Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the event, while Star Wars creator George Lucas will be celebrated on closing night.
Some of the selected African filmmakers are multi-award winning producers, directors, and screenwriters with past wins at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), Toronto International Film Festivals, and Berlin Film Festivals.
Last year, Toyin Elebe, a Nigerian documentary filmmaker, won the award for the Best Voiceover category at the Cannes World Film Festival for his work in the documentary Vote True.
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