Harvey Weinstein used the occasion of what has become his annual Cannes showreel presentation to remind attendees that a pre-arranged trip to Jordan was the reason for his absence from Wednesday’s world premiere of the embattled Grace Of Monaco.

Weinstein and wife Georgina Chapman visited Syrian refugee camps and the mogul was suitably moved by the experience to announce his company will make a documentary about the issue.

After this sombre introduction, Weinstein presented footage from a varied slate that included St Vincent, Big Eyes, Macbeth and The Imitation Game

Naomi Watts from St Vincent, Ryan Reynolds from Woman In Gold and The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby writer-director Ned Benson took to the stage in support of their upcoming releases.

Weinstein’s showreel included Suite Francaise, Begin Again, The Giver, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and Underdogs, the English-language version of Juan Jose Campanella’s Spanish-language hit Foosball.

He also introduced footage of Jake Gyllenhaal in training for Antoine Fuqua drama Southpaw and said Woman In Gold and Tulip Fever were on the production runway.

The mogul highlighted several corporate partners, among them Worldview Entertainment, Miramax, Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Films and Len Blavatnik’s AI Films. 

Earlier in the presentation it emerged that Dalian Wanda Group has hired Steven Mensch as the CEO of its Qingdao Movie Oriental Industrial Park and Rose Kuo has been named CEO of the Qingdao International Film Festival. Both the studio and the film festival will open in 2017.

Macbeth and Suite Francaise have not been dated yet.

  • Begin Again opens on June 27;
  • The Giver on August 15;
  • Sin City: A Dame To Kill For August 22;
  • Underdogs August 27;
  • The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby September 26;
  • St Vincent October 24;
  • The Imitation Game November 21;
  • Paddington December 12;
  • Big Eyes December 25.

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