Daily Films for Cannes May 15th in English

IN COMPETITION

FATHERLAND by PAWEŁ PAWLIKOWSKI at 9:30

Runtime: 1h22 

FATHERLAND centers on the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika, actress, writer and rally driver. In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins – from US dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar. Returning home after sixteen years of exile in the US, Thomas Mann has to face not only a divided fatherland, but also deep fracture within his own family. 

PARALLEL TALES by ASGHAR FARHADI at 10:30 

Runtime: 2h20 

In search of inspiration for her new novel, Sylvie spies on her neighbors across the street. When she hires young Adam to help her with her daily routine, she has no idea that he will turn her life and her work upside down, until the fiction she had imagined surpasses the reality of them all. 

ALL OF A SUDDEN by HAMAGUCHI RYUSUKE at 14:00 

Runtime: 3h16 

Director of a care facility for the elderly, Marie-Lou strives to introduce an innovative care philosophy based on listening and respecting residents’ dignity, despite resistance from part of her staff. Her encounter with Mari, a Japanese theater director battling cancer, will profoundly reshape her path. By forming a deep, supportive friendship, the two women join forces in a shared struggle to “make the impossible possible.” 

GENTLE MONSTER by MARIE KREUTZER at 22:00 

Runtime: 1h54 

Lucy, a concert pianist, has just relocated her family from the city to a country house in the hope of easing her husband Philip’s severe burnout. Before they have a chance to set up their new home, an early morning police visit tears their world apart. Isolated and desperate to protect her young son, Lucy must face the situation alone, trapped between the man she loves and the fear of what he may have done. 

CANNES PREMIERE 

CANTONA by DAVID TRYHORN & BEN NICHOLAS at 14:30 

Runtime: 1h55 

The most gifted footballer of his generation was finished. Retired in disgrace at 25, he appeared destined for permanent exile from the sport he loved. Incapable of blind obedience, Eric Cantona was a libertine who bridled against conformity whenever he felt its grip tighten. The French branded him unmanageable. But the fire that burned in Eric became the spark to ignite a dynasty at Manchester United. At turns thoughtful and explosive, Cantona reveals how legendary manager Alex Ferguson channelled the brilliance of this most captivating and unpredictable of athletes. A tale of friendship and fatherhood, Cantona and Ferguson’s testimonies reveal how a man misread as hostile and unknowable was finally understood, loved, and forgiven, by the strictest disciplinarian in football. 

KARMA by GUILLAUME CANET at 18:30 

Runtime: 2h29 

In a village of northern Spain, Jeanne tries to rebuild her life with Daniel, who knows nothing about her troubled past. One day, Mateo, Jeanne’s six-year-old godson, mysteriously disappears… In order to escape the police, who instantly suspect her, Jeanne flees to France and hides out in the community where she grew up, led by Marc. Refusing to believe that the woman he loves is guilty, Daniel will do everything in his power to find her before the police do. 

PROPELLER ONE-WAY NIGHT COACH by JOHN TRAVOLTA at 18:45 

Runtime: 1h01 

Set in the golden age of aviation, a young airplane enthusiast Jeff (played by newcomer Clark Shotwell) and his mother (Kelly Eviston-Quinnett) set off on a one-way cross country odyssey to Hollywood, which transforms a simple flight into the trip of a lifetime. Between airline meals, charming flight attendants (played by Ella Bleu Travolta and Olga Hoffman), unexpected stopovers, larger-than-life passengers, and a thrilling glimpse at first class, the journey unfolds in moments both magical and unexpected, charting the course for the boy’s future. 

JOHN LENNON: THE LAST INTERVIEW by STEVEN SODERBERGH at 19:45 

Runtime: 1h40 

“John Lennon: The Last Interview” captures an extraordinary and intimate moment in music history – the final in-depth conversation John Lennon ever gave. On December 8, 1980, Lennon and Yoko Ono sat down with a small radio crew in their New York apartment to promote the release of their album Double Fantasy. What followed was an unfiltered, wide-ranging discussion about music, politics, fatherhood, and life. Just hours later, Lennon was killed. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the documentary presents the complete interview for the first time, framed by reflections from those who were present, revealing a man at the height of his creative and personal powers, openly looking toward the future he would never see. 

THINK GOOD by GÉRALDINE NAKACHE at 20:45 

Runtime: 1h34 

When Gil meets Jacques, their love seems irresistible. But the intensity of the early days gives way to a relationship where she feels increasingly trapped, to the point of losing her bearings. Jacques reassures her: if she thinks the right way, only good things will happen to her. Little by little, Gil realizes the insidious control he exerts over her life… 

COLONY by YEON SANG-HO at 00:30 

Runtime: 2h03 

Se-jeong (Gianna JUN), a biotechnology professor, attends a biotech conference—only to witness it spiral into catastrophe when a rapidly mutating virus is unleashed. As the outbreak spreads and the infected begin to transform, authorities seal off the entire facility, trapping the survivors with an ever-growing threat… Un Certain Regarde CONGO BOY by RAFIKI FARIALA at 11:00 Runtime: 1h35 Bangui, Central African Republic. 17 year-old Robert dreams of a career in music, but civil war is tearing the country apart. When both his parents are thrown into prison, he is left to look after his four younger siblings on his own, juggling daily life, odd jobs, school exams and concert stages, determined to follow his dream. CLUB KID by JORDAN FIRSTMAN at 14:15 Runtime: 2h06 A washed-up party promoter is forced to turn his life around when an unexpected visitor arrives. 

CANNES CLASSICS 

FESTIVAL DE CANNES 1947 by ADRIEN FRED MAURY at 13:15 

Runtime: 1h00 

This colour amateur film is an exceptional record of the second Cannes Film Festival, held in 1947. It features several well-known figures from the French film world—such as Jacques Becker, Roger Pigaut and Claire Mafféi, who came to present Antoine and Antoinette, as well as Charles Vanel, Jean Delannoy and Roger Blin—captured in moments of cinephile enthusiasm and sightseeing. The film also contains rare footage of a tribute paid to the workers who had volunteered to build the Palais des Festivals, recalling the strong spirit of Liberation that shaped the post-war years, and the key role played by the CGT (France’s main trade union confederation) in establishing the Festival after its first planned edition was cancelled in 1939. 

PELECHIAN PROJECT by ARTAVAZD PELECHIAN at 14:45 

Runtime: 1h30 Artavazd Pelechian (Armenia, 1938) is one of the key Armenian filmmakers. The father of distance editing, he works at the border of documentary and fiction, giving the mundane a new depth, and discovering the poetry in the real. His works explore collective memory, nature, and humanity beyond traditional narrative cinema. The restoration project was launched by Coproduction Office in partnership with Cineteca di Bologna under the director’s supervision. The programme comprises five of his works: Land of the People (1966), The Beginning (1967), We (1969), The Inhabitants (1970)and The Seasons (1975). In association: Cinema Foundation of Armenia, Public Television Company of Armenia, VGIK, Belarusfilm. Additional support: ZDF/ARTE, ArMa Media Production LLC, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. 

SUGATA SANSHIRO by AKIRA KUROSAWA at 16:45 

Runtime: 1h31 

A young man, Sanshiro Sugata, seeks to master judo for revenge but discovers its true essence through discipline and wisdom. Kurosawa’s film explores the quest for meaning, self-mastery, and respect in traditional Japan. THE STORY OF DOCUMENTARY FILM (THE 1970S) by MARK COUSINS at 19:00 Runtime: 1h59 From Mark Cousins, creator of the groundbreaking The Story of Film: A New Generation & Women Make Film, comes the definitive history of documentary. Tracing the evolution of documentary film across time, encompassing landmark works and hidden treasures, while revealing how the form has helped us see and make sense of our world. 

SÉANCES DU LENDEMAIN

THE MELTDOWN by MANUELA MARTELLI at 8:30 

Runtime: 1h48 

Chile, 1992. Staying at her grandparents’ remote hotel near an Andean ski resort, Inés (9) befriends Hanna (15), a German skier. When Hanna vanishes without a trace, the search for her exposes hidden truths. 

PARALLEL TALES by ASGHAR FARHADI at 8:30 

Runtime: 2h20 

In search of inspiration for her new novel, Sylvie spies on her neighbors across the street. When she hires young Adam to help her with her daily routine, she has no idea that he will turn her life and her work upside down, until the fiction she had imagined surpasses the reality of them all. 

FATHERLAND by PAWEŁ PAWLIKOWSKI at 11:15 

Runtime: 1h22 

FATHERLAND centers on the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika, actress, writer and rally driver. In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins – from US dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar. Returning home after sixteen years of exile in the US, Thomas Mann has to face not only a divided fatherland, but also deep fracture within his own family. 

MARIE MADELEINE by GÉSSICA GÉNÉUS at 17:15 

Runtime: 1h43 

In Jacmel, on Haiti’s southern coast, the sea, the churches, and the spirits shape everyday life. Marie Madeleine is a free woman. She lives from prostitution and moves through the nights without submitting to the rules of those who claim to save souls. When her path crosses that of Joseph, a young believer deeply involved in an evangelical community, a relationship forms between these two beings who seem to have nothing in common. As Joseph begins to waver in his faith, Marie Madeleine draws him into a world where desire, belief, and the search for freedom open a space where everything can be reinvented. 

QUELQUES MOTS D’AMOUR by RUDI ROSENBERG at 18:15 

Runtime: 1h35 

For 14 years, Erika has been the anchor of a household that rarely stands still, doing her best to raise teenage Abigail, her whirlwind little brother, Yoni, and a dog with an extreme devotion to cheese. When Abi’s desire to meet her absent father grows into a full-blown obsession and word spreads he’s been seen nearby, Erika fears the fragile balance will collapse for good. Instead, the unpredictable journey that follows brings mother and daughter to see each other anew, steering their lively, lovable family toward a happy new chapter.