US filmmakers set to shine at Cannes Directors' Fortnight 2024
The prestigious Cannes parallel section, Directors' Fortnight, has unveiled its roster for the upcoming 56th edition. Scheduled to run from May 15 to May 23, the event will feature a total of 21 feature films and 10 short films. This year's selection is the second line-up curated by Delegate General Julien Rejl, who assumed his role in the previous year. Established in 1969, the Directors' Fortnight is an independent sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival.
Why does this story matter?
In contrast to the official selection, the Directors' Fortnight operates without competition. It curates a diverse selection of short, medium, and feature-length films encompassing fiction, non-fiction, live-action, and animation. Since 2002, the Fortnight has been the venue for the Carrosse d'Or award ceremony. This prestigious prize celebrates filmmakers who have made significant contributions to the history of cinema. Among the esteemed recipients are luminaries such as Martin Scorsese, Ousmane Sembene, David Cronenberg, Jane Campion, John Carpenter, and Souleymane Cissé.
Opening and closing films announced
The Directors' Fortnight will commence with This Life of Mine, the final feature by the late director Sophie Fillières. The film stars Agnès Jaoui, portraying a woman facing an identity crisis at 55. The closing film is Jean-Christophe Meurisse's dark comedy Plastic Guns. Inspired by a true story, this gripping mistaken identity drama unfolds around the case of a Frenchman wrongfully arrested by police.
Promising US directors featured in 2024 roster
The forthcoming line-up of the festival also includes films by four emerging US directors: Tyler Taormina's Christmas Eve In Miller's Point, Carson Lund's Eephus, India Donaldson's Good One, and Ryan J. Sloan's Gazer. Christmas Eve In Miller's Point marks Taormina's third feature, following Happer's Comet and Ham on Rye. Co-written by Taormina, Eric Berger, and Kevin Anton, the film follows four generations of the Balsano family as they gather for what may be the last Christmas in their family home.
Renowned directors and diverse experience in the line-up
Furthermore, Eephus, centered on the final game of a small-town baseball team, marks Lund's feature directorial debut. Meanwhile, Donaldson's Good One—portraying a 17-year-old navigating the complexities of a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills amid her father and his oldest friend's competing egos—premiered at Sundance earlier this year. Further, the 2024 roster also features works from Patricia Mazuy's Visiting Hours. It features Isabelle Huppert and Hafsia Herzi as women who form a bond while visiting their husbands in prison.
