Cannes 2020: five films, from Pixar, Spike Lee, Wes Anderson and others, selected for the now cancelled festival, and their fate going forward

So Cannes has been canned.

Even the world’s most famous film festival is not immune to the impact of the coronavirus, and this week artistic director Thierry Frémaux admitted that “a physical edition” in 2020 will be nigh-on impossible.

But what of the selected films?

Frémaux has promised to publish a list of those chosen in June, but he is already revealed the titles of five, whose prospects are now uncertain without that all-important Cannes opening.

1. Da 5 Bloods

Spike Lee would have been the first black president of the Cannes festival jury this year – and he was also bringing his latest film to show out of competition.

Starring Chadwick Boseman, it tells of four African-American veterans who travel to Vietnam years after the war. After a two-year absence, it would also have marked a return to the Croisette for the film’s backer Netflix after its clash with the festival over its theatrical release policy in France.

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Da 5 Bloods will still debut in June on the streaming platform – meaning it is likely to be one of the most watched films of Lee’s career.

Release date: June 12

2. The French Dispatch 

Wes Anderson has Cannes form – 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom opened the festival. And this Paris-set comedy, centred on an American literary magazine, was tailor-made for Cannes, and with a red carpet-ready roster of stars: Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet.

Originally due for a July release, it’s now been moved to October, making a festival appearance in Venice and/or Toronto possible. It should still enjoy high-profile exposure, albeit in a far more crowded autumn marketplace as delayed titles jostle for attention.

Release date: October 16

3. Soul 

Cannes loves Pixar, having given premieres to Up and Inside Out previously, and Soul was destined to be one of the festival’s must-see titles.

Directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers, this story of a jazz teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who loses his passion for music is now likely to bypass the festival circuit, with Disney shifting its release from June to November.

It’ll still likely do well even without a Cannes endorsement. Missing out on that all-important summer opening is likely to hurt more, however.

Release date: November 20

4. Tre Piani (Three Floors)

Italian director Nanni Moretti is a Cannes regular, and won the Palme d’Or for 2001’s The Son’s Room. His latest film is the first to have an adapted screenplay – it is based on Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo’s novel about three families living in flats in the same condominium.

Moretti and fellow Italians Alba Rohrwacher and Riccardo Scamarcio star, which does suggest that – with no set Italian release date yet – the film will head to Venice in September, assuming that festival can proceed. Given how badly Italy suffered during the pandemic, a movie from one of its most celebrated filmmakers may be just the tonic.

Release date: TBC

5. Benedetta

Already pushed from Cannes 2019 because its Dutch director, Paul Verhoeven, needed a hip operation, this erotic love story between two 17th century nuns, starring Virginie Efira, has now been delayed another 12 months, according to its producer Saïd Ben Saïd.

That’s an agonising thought for fans of Verhoeven, the man behind RoboCop and Basic Instinct. What it does mean is that Cannes has likely guaranteed it a berth in the 2021 competition line-up – proof of just how valuable a slot in the festival can be. Sometimes the wait is worth it.

Release date: May 2021

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