Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the poster for its 75th edition and the choice will be familiar to many – an image from the 1998 Jim Carrey existential drama The Truman Show.
The poster shows Carrey aka Truman Burbank ascending a staircase that appears to stretch into a pale blue sky punctuated by wispy clouds. Cannes’ milestone year is signified by a large white “75”.
Peter Weir’s story centres on an insurance salesman who unknowingly lives in a meticulously constructed fake world surrounded by actors and whose every action plays out as a must-see daily soap opera watched by millions. When Truman begins to suspect something is amiss his world changes forever.
In its accompanying notes the festival said, “Just as the unforgettable Truman embodied by the one-and-only Jim Carrey whose fingers brush his horizon, the Festival de Cannes takes the extreme nature of the world in its stride in order to grasp it again. The climate crisis, humanitarian disasters, and armed conflicts… the reasons for concerns are numerous.
“As in 1939 and in 1946, the Festival is once again asserting its strong conviction that art and cinema are where contemplation and the renewal of society unravel. And yet it remains faithful to its founding commitment enshrined in article 1 of its rules: The purpose of the Festival International du Film, in a spirit of friendship and universal cooperation, is to reveal and showcase quality films in the interest of the evolution of the art of cinematography .
“Peter Weir and Andrew Niccol’s The Truman Show (1998) is a modern reflection of Plato’s cave and the decisive scene urges viewers to not only experience the border between reality and its representation but to ponder the power of fiction, between manipulation and catharsis. Just as Truman escapes falsehood as he rises, the Festival, with its famous ascending red carpet, offers viewers the truth of the artists when they enter the theater.”
Paramount distributed The Truman Show and plays a big role in the upcoming festival. Its Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise plays as a special screening on the Croisette on May 18, when Cruise will be the subject of an “exceptional tribute” from the festival and take part in an on-stage conversation prior to the presentation.
Cannes runs from May 17-28.
The full poster appears below.
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