Cannes Competition jury president Ruben Ostlund made a bold celebration of the festival at the 2023 opening jury press conference, stating that he would “rather have another Palme d’Or than an Oscar.”
Swedish director Ostlund has two Palme d’Ors to his name already, for The Square in 2017 and Triangle Of Sadness in 2022.
“The Golden Palme is the greatest film prize in the world,” said Ostlund. “For me, if I can choose between an Oscar or a Palme d’Or, it’s an easy choice. I’d rather have another Palme than an Oscar.”
Ostlund, who received his first Oscar nominations earlier this year for best director and original screenplay for Triangle Of Sadness, said the Academy Awards come with a different “brand”, around increasing viewership for the nominated films.
“I started film school in the 1990s. A teacher at that school, their reference was always going back to Cannes,” said the director. “I look at myself as a European film director; I’m part of a European tradition. The role of cinema we have in European culture is something I’m willing to fight for.”
With protests taking place across France against the government’s pension reforms, the city of Cannes has banned demonstrations in front of the Palais and along the Croisette. Ostlund said he supported those looking to protest at the festival; but that he sympathised with those screening or working at the event too.
“It has been part of the history of Cannes that they use the arena, that the world is looking to,” said the Force Majeure filmmaker. “I support that they are doing it – it’s one of the great things with a festival, when the world is looking towards you, you can get things out there, you can say what you want to say.
He referenced the 1968 festival, when filmmakers including Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut withheld their films from in solidarity with students striking across France. “I remember how Milos Forman was reacting to that, because he ahad one of his films in competition that he wanted to screen,” said Ostlund. “He was sympathising with the student revolution in Paris; at the same time, he wanted to screen his film! We want to fulfil our work, we want to participate at the festival. You don’t know which leg you should stand on.”
Writers support
The 2023 Competition jury consists of filmmakers Ostlund, Julia Ducournau, Damian Szifron, Atiq Rahimi, Maryam Touzani and Rungano Nyoni; plus actors Brie Larson and Paul Dano.
Larson, who was a founding member of the Time’s Up initiative in 2018, was asked whether she would watch Maiwenn’s out-of-competition festival opener Jeanne du Barry, given that the film stars Johnny Depp, who has been involved in high-profile domestic abuse cases involving his ex-wife Amber Heard.
“I don’t understand why you’re asking me,” was Larson’s first response, before she expanded, “You’ll have to wait and see if I see it. I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if I do.”
Dano, whose debut feature Wildlife opened the Critics’ Week section in 2018, voiced his support for the writers currently strike in the US, adding that his wife Zoe Kazan was currently on the picket line with their 6-month-old child, and he would be joining them directly after his Cannes jury duties.
Ostlund said he took “one day” to consider the festival’s offer of the jury president role. “It’s 10 years too early maybe,” he joked. “I felt way too young to do it.”
He said he will be requiring participation from all nine jurors. “We’re going to have a loud debate about all the films; I hope we’ll have a warm feeling in the background,” said Ostlund. “Everybody has to participate – I’m not going to accept that someone is leaning back and letting others talk.”
The festival gets underway this evening (May 16) with Jeanne du Barry; the first Competition title to screen will be Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, tomorrow (May 17).
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