Cannes Film Festival: Eight projects to watch in 2023 at the French celebration of cinema

The 76th Cannes Film Festival begins today, with the movie world’s movers and shakers jetting into the French Riviera from around the world.

Last year’s festival produced three Oscar best picture nominees, so all eyes are on the films up for contention this time around.

It’s a record year for female filmmakers too, with seven of the 21 movies competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or directed by women.

Take a look at eight of the movies already making a buzz as the festival kicks off.

The most talked about: Johnny Depp’s comeback

After winning his high-profile US court case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp will make his big film comeback in the opening movie of this year’s festival.

Called Jeanne Du Barry, it sees the star playing King Louis XV, while the drama’s director, a French filmmaker known as Maiwenn, will play the titular role.

She recently admitted to spitting in a journalist’s face following reports accusing her ex-husband, the director Luc Besson, of rape (the French court of appeal dismissed all the allegations against Besson in May last year).

It’s a somewhat controversial choice to kick off proceedings but seemingly the festival is happy to overlook any raised eyebrows – and it’s certainly got people talking.

The blockbuster: Fifth and final Indiana Jones

Perhaps the best pap shots to look out for in the press this week will be of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Harrison Ford as they premiere Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny out of competition during the festival.

Directed by James Mangold, whose previous work includes Logan and Ford v Ferrari, the movie will star Ford in his final outing as the iconic archaeologist while Fleabag’s Waller-Bridge plays his goddaughter.

It’s the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg or written by George Lucas and has been a long time coming – its initial intended release date was 19 July 2019.

Due out in cinemas on 30 June, it’s expected to be a summer blockbuster hit for Disney, but Cannes will provide a select few an early chance to see the end of Indy’s adventures.

The Scorsese awards bait: Killers Of The Flower Moon

Killers Of The Flower Moon is a Western crime drama from Martin Scorsese with a very starry cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons and recent Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser.

It’s based on a book about a series of murders of members of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma during the 1920s after oil was discovered on tribal land.

Reported to have cost £160m, and not out in cinemas until October, the drama is expected to be an awards contender.

It’s playing out of competition at Cannes, and while it’s due to eventually come out on Apple TV+, Scorsese has described it as a “big-screen movie”.

The Palme D’Or play from Wes: Asteroid City

A recent online trend has seen videos imitating the unique and highly stylised look of Wes Anderson films.

So, what better time for a new film from the director himself?

As usual, he’s pulled together a big ensemble cast – this one includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum (to name just a few).

Set in 1955, it’s about a junior stargazers’ convention and is among the films at Cannes hoping to take home the prestigious top prize – the Palme d’Or – before it hits cinemas in June.

The arty one: May December

Director Todd Haynes, known for work including Wonderstruck and Dark Waters, has an intriguingly meta offering in competition at the festival.

May December stars Natalie Portman as an actress who goes to meet a woman played by Julianne Moore that Portman’s character is going to play in a film.

In real life, both stars have won Oscars in the past and the film is yet to be sold to a US distributor, so makers are no doubt banking on great reviews when it premieres at the festival before coming out on Sky Cinema later this year.

The nepo baby and The Weeknd team up: The Idol

The highly anticipated series by Euphoria-creator Sam Levinson and musician The Weeknd, The Idol, will see another Depp getting a Cannes premiere.

The film stars Johnny’s daughter Lily-Rose as an aspiring popstar who enters a complex relationship with a self-help guru played by The Weeknd.

With reports of a costly overhaul midway through production, all eyes will be on the reaction to the Cannes premiere before the show airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK.

The WWII flick by Steve McQueen: Occupied City

One of Britain’s most lauded directors, Sir Steve McQueen, will bring his new documentary Occupied City to this year’s Cannes as a special screening.

About Amsterdam – where he now lives with his wife, writer Bianca Stigter who co-produced the film – under Nazi occupation during the Second World War, it’s billed as having a whopping 262-minute running time.

It’s the first time McQueen has directed a documentary feature, but his doc mini-series Uprising won a TV Bafta last year.

The animated heart warmer: Elemental

The latest offering from Disney Pixar is set in a city where elements live together and is about the relationship between a fiery girl and a boy made from water – who find that just because they can’t touch one another doesn’t mean they have nothing in common.

The animation will premiere out of competition and will close the festival on 27 May, before releasing in cinemas next month.

The voice cast includes Jurassic World star Mamoudou Athie and Nancy Drew actress Leah Lewis.

Inspired by romantic movies including You’ve Got Mail and Amelie, expect it to bring a heart-warming close to the festival.

Cannes Film Festival runs from 16-27 May