Cannes Film Festival 2017: Things to look forward to

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is all set to walk the red carpet at the 70th Cannes Film Festival on May 19 and 20, and we are eagerly waiting to see the magic she weaves this year. The gorgeous diva was spotted at the airport leaving for France along with her daughter Aaradhya. Looking lovely as always in a trench coat and a pair of denims, the yummy mummy walked hand-in-hand with the little one who looked equally stylish and cute. The actress will also present ‘Devdas’ at Cannes for the second time. She had made her debut on the red carpet of the prestigious film festival with the same movie in 2002.

It is time to turn up the spotlight and roll out the red carpet as the 70th edition of the Festival De Cannes (Cannes Film Festival) will commence today, May 17, 2017. The film festival will bring some of the biggest and brightest stars from around the world under one roof as they showcase a lineup of film masterpieces. From impeccable red carpet appearances, master classes with film’s greats, to the brilliant pieces of cinematic excellence and the Bollywood influence, this year has a lot in store for film buffs.

The famous strip on the French Riviera will soon turn into a showcase of glamour and splendour as some of the biggest names in the business will strut down the red carpet. Apart from Cannes regulars like Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Eva Longoria, Blake Lively, Sonam Kapoor, Li Bingbing and more, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone will make her first Cannes appearance since 2010.

With Bollywood divas like Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor hitting the red carpet in consecutive progression, you can bet that fans will cling on to every medium that provides them with updates from the venue. Unlike veterans Aishwarya and Sonam, Deepika will make her first appearance as an ambassador for an international cosmetic giant. However, the three will not be bumping into each other on the red carpet as they are scheduled to make solo appearances on different days, thus giving fans their daily dose of glamour.
Joining the three ladies on the red carpet will be Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman along with Shruti Haasan, Jayam Ravi and Arya. You can also expect a sighting of Amy Jackson and Mallika Sherawat on the red carpet.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who first went to the Cannes Film Festival with ‘Devdas’ back in 2002, will be presenting the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film again at the 70th edition of the fest. She will be presenting the film on May 20 as part of an ‘Open Air Cinema’ segment of the festival.
Recounting her first experience at the fest, Aishwarya was quoted as saying, “We attended the festival not just as artists but as proud representatives of Indian cinema, and showcasing a film that meant so much to us. The kind of reception we got for the movie was truly overwhelming and I will cherish it all my life.”
The Bhansali-directed project was a cinematic marvel with the revelry of dance and music, and a tragic love story splashed with myriad emotions.

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman will walk the red carpet at the 70th Cannes Film Festival with the lead cast and director of Tamil trilingual magnum opus ‘Sangamithra’. Rahman along with actress Shruti Haasan, actors Jayam Ravi and Arya and director Sundar C will walk the red carpet on the opening night, where they will unveil their period drama. Speaking to the Times of India about the same, Rahman said, “I’m looking forward to joining the team of the film at Cannes. This is an ambitious project and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

While Bollywood might be churning out the most number of movies as compared to any other film industry in the world, their films fell short of the festival’s benchmark. However, making the cut of featuring on the festival’s line-up is Payal Kapadia’s short film ‘Afternoon Clouds’. The third-year student of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, had her 13-minute short film selected to compete against 16 other films in ‘The Cinéfondation Selection’.
A jury presided over by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu will decide the winners.

The 2017 Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 17 to May 28, will witness brilliant pieces of cinematic excellence being played out on the big screen. For the first time in its long run, the film festival will also showcase television, virtual reality and some intriguing non-fiction selections that push the festival in a fresh direction. A few familiar names that stand out would have to be Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, Bong Joon-ho and Michael Haneke among others. ‘Twilight’ actress Kristen Stewart’s directorial short film ‘Come Swim’ will also premiere at the festival as part of a special screening, along with the documentary ‘Sea of Sorrow’, directed by Vanessa Redgrave.
‘The Revenant’ director Alejandro G. Iñárritu will also be premiering a virtual reality film, photographed by Emmanuel Lubezki, titled ‘Carne Y Arena’. Two episodes of David Lynch’s highly anticipated ‘Twin Peaks’ reboot will be screened during a special presentation, along with two episodes of Jane Campion’s ‘Top of the Lake’.