Neon CEO Tom Quinn took no chances this year en route to winning the company’s sixth Cannes Palme d’Or in a row, for Iranian dissident Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident.” He acquired the film just two days before Saturday’s award ceremony. Neon also collected the festival Jury Prize for “Sirât” (shared with MUBI’s recent buy “Sound of Falling”), and two awards for Brazil’s “The Secret Agent” — Best Director (Kleber Mendonça Filho) and Actor (Wagner Moura ).
Neon came out ahead on the acquisitions derby, as MUBI’s starry $23-million pick-up “Die My Love,” from Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, came up empty-handed. A Cannes Actress win for Jennifer Lawrence could have fueled an Oscar campaign, but that loss won’t stop MUBI from pursuing that goal.
The American Competition entries whiffed at the Cannes awards, including Ari Aster’s political western “Eddington” (A24), Julia Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” (Mubi) and Wes Anderson’s sketchy “The Phoenician Scheme” (Focus). One of the popular films at Cannes was Spike Lee’s Out of Competition “Highest 2 Lowest” (Apple TV+/A24, August 22) starring the mighty Denzel Washington. The intense New York family drama, adapted from Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low,” wasn’t in Competition because the festival wasn’t sure they’d get Washington on the red carpet. To their surprise and delight, the 70-year-old made the trip on his one day off, Monday May 19, and accepted a surprise Honorary Palme d’Or from Lee. That kind of publicity fuels an Oscar campaign.
All the Cannes awards winners are here.
Neon came into the festival with its pre-production acquisition from Cannes 2024, Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” which took home the festival’s second prize, the Grand Prix. Quinn clearly knows how to pick them. (Check out our candid Screen Talk conversation with him here.)
What will happen with the award-winners at the Oscars? Only Norway’s family drama “Sentimental Value” has the right stuff to win major Oscars beyond Best International Feature Film. Neon is sure to push in the acting categories Swedish veteran Stellan Skarsgård (“Breaking the Waves,” “Andor,” “Chernobyl”), who earned raves for his wily role as an aging filmmaker trying to make a comeback, and 2021 Cannes actress winner Renate Reinsve (“The Worst Person in the World”) as his estranged, neurotic actress daughter. Last year, Reinsve’s “Armand” was submitted by Norway.
Another movie Neon could score an Oscar nomination for is Ugo Bienvenu’s charming French animated feature “Arco,” which, like “Flow,” has an eco-message. Neon previously released “Flee” and “Robot Dreams” to Oscar nominations.
All the Cannes winners now will have a better shot at being submitted by their home country.
Jafar Panahi could benefit from the Academy’s new asylum rule: “The submitting country must confirm that creative control of the film was largely in the hands of citizens, residents, or individuals with refugee or asylum status in the submitting country.” While Panahi and Iran have been at odds for decades for his continuing criticism of the government, and he filmed the movie in secret, he has not yet requested asylum from another country. That could change. But Iran will not submit the film. Cinetic Media, which marketed seven of the winners on Saturday, suggested that Luxembourg might wind up able to submit “It was Just an Accident.” France may also be a possibility as the film’s post was completed there.
Belgium could choose as its Oscar entry “Young Mothers,” which won Best Screenplay for the Dardenne brothers, who have won many prizes, including two Palmes over the years. Belgium sometimes submits them for the Oscars, sometimes not.
Here are the likely country submissions for Cannes award-winners for Best International Feature Film, in alphabetical order:
“The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
“Sentimental Value” (Norway)
“Sirât” (France or Spain)
“Sound of Falling” (Germany)
“Young Mothers” (Belgium)
Other films that did not win prizes could also wind up in the International race, including “Eagles of the Republic” (Competition, Sweden) and “The Love That Remains” (Cannes Premiere, Iceland).
Sidebar award-winners also get a leg up. (Un Certain Regard award winners are here.) Distributors will take note that Frank Dillane won Best Actor in Un Certain Regard for his moving and funny portrait of an unhoused man in British actor Harris Dickinson’s debut feature “Urchin.” With the right push, he could wind up in the Best Actor race. Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize-winner “Un Poeta” could be submitted by Colombia. Also in Un Certain Regard but not winning a prize is Nigerian-set “My Father’s Shadow,” which could be submitted by the United Kingdom.
Not winning an award makes “Nouvelle Vague,” American director Richard Linklater’s French-produced homage to Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” a less likely French entry. The film is seeking distribution. Hafsia Herzi’s sales title “The Little Sister,” which took Best Actress for Nadia Melliti, could be the French submission instead.
