Cannes Film Festival 2015 Day 9: 'The Assassin' is a Hit; Pixar shows off footage to 'Finding Dory' and 'The Good Dinosaur'
As the Cannes Film Festival winds down, the final competition films are making their premiere, including the latest martial arts film "The Assassin."
Hou Hsiao-Hsien's film "The Assassin" premiered in the competition slate of the Cannes Film Festival and scored rave reviews. But, it did not make a huge splash as most had hoped. However, it was no surprise that the film would be met with raves as Hou Hsiao-Hsien is one of China's most acclaimed director in contemporary cinema.
Also premiering was Gaspar Noe's highly anticipated "Love." The film had a huge marketing campaign prior to its premiere as a number of posters with graphic images were released and footage of the film was also made available. As most expected, the film obtained mixed reviews with most critics noting that the film was so intent on shocking that it sometimes failed to tell the love story it set out to do.
In the Un Certain Regard sidebar David Pablos' sophomore film "The Chosen Ones" opened to rave reviews.
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Acquisitions continued strong as IFC Films obtained rights to "A Perfect Day" starring Benicio del Toro. The movie was directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa and premiered at the festival's Director's Fortnight sidebar. No release date has been set for the film.
Cohen Media Group took its first film as it acquired the rights to the Turkish drama "Mustang." The film is playing in the Director's Fortnight sidebar and has scored very good reviews. The company did not announce when the film will be released but it could be an awards contender this fall.
Netflix also announced that it would launch "The Great Dictatorship." The film was a huge box office success when it was released in Mexico and became one of the highest grossing films in Mexico. The film stars Damian Alcazar, Alfonso Herrera, Joaquin Cosio, Silvia Navarro, and Osvaldo Benavides, among others. The movie was originally backed by Televisa but the company backed out after seeing the cut, which spurred controversy. The film was lensed by acclaimed cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe, who is known for "The Road" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
Pixar held a press conference in which the company unveiled footage from its upcoming "Finding Dory" and "The Good Dinosaur." John Lasseter noted that this year will be the first time that Pixar releases two films in one year. Other footage came from "Moana" and "Zootopia."
It was also announced that Argentine director Lucrezia Martel's latest film "Zama" had started production. The film is being back by Pedro and Agustin Almodovar through their company El Deseo. Martel is known for her work on "The Headless Woman," "The Holy Girl" and "La Cienaga."
Meanwhile, it was announced that Denis Villeneuve would rejoin Roger Deakins to do "Blade Runner 2." The cinematographer is a 12-time Oscar nominee and he recently worked with Villeneuve on "Sicario," which is premiering in competition. The two also worked on "Prisoners," for which Deakins scored an Oscar nomination.
The Cannes Film Festival will end on May 24.