Latest news with #UgoBienvenu
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Natalie Portman-Produced French Animated Film ‘Arco' Wins Annecy
Arco, a French animated feature about of unexpected friendship and the fate of a world impacted by climate change, has won the Cristal for best film at this year's Annecy film festival. The feature debut of famed French illustrator Ugo Bienvenu, which premiered in Cannes and counts Natalie Portman among its producers, follows Arco, a 10‑year‑old boy from the year 2932 who inadvertently travels back in time, via a rainbow, to 2075, where he encounters Iris, a young girl living through environmental collapse. Their burgeoning friendship becomes a tender yet urgent bond across time, rooted in innocence, curiosity and shared heartbreak. In her rave Hollywood Reporter review, Lovia Gyarkye called Arco 'a considered meditation on ecological disaster within the dulcet grooves of a charming story about adolescent friendship.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Shanghai Hidden Gem: 'Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts' Offers a Dark Twist on Growing Old Shanghai Fest Returns With Local Premiere of Zhang Ziyi's 'She's Got No Name,' AI Debates and a Lynch Retrospective Chinese Auteur Bi Gan Breaks Down 'Resurrection,' His Mesmerizing Ode to Cinema's Enigmas The top prize for the Contrechamp sidebar section went to Endless Cookie, a Canadian animated documentary from Seth and Pete Scriver, which premiered at Sundance. The lo-fi, often surreal feature explores Pete's memories of growing up as a First Nations person from Shamattawa, Manitoba, touching on topics ranging from the legacy of residential schools and corporate land exploitation to systemic incarceration, interspersed with funny and surreal interludes. Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, an adaptation of Amélie Nothomb's novel, directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, won Annecy's audience award for best feature. The Annecy film festival, which wrapped up with a gala awards ceremony Saturday night, has become a must-attend for the international animation industry, and a tastemaker for awards season. Last year's two big winners: Competition Cristal winner Memoir of a Snail and audience award winner Flow, both scored Oscar nominations, with Gints Zilbalodis' Flow winning the Academy Award for best animated feature. The competition jury prize went to ChaO, from Japanese director Yasuhiro Aoki, which imagines a chaotic future Shanghai populated by hybrid beings and shifting power dynamics. The Paul Grimault Award went to Momoko Seto's Dandelion's Odyssey, which premiered in Cannes Critics' Week, and follows a group of seeds as they journey across varied ecosystems, exploring the fragility and resilience of life. The Square, from South Korean director Bo-Sol Kim, which blends political commentary with experimental animation in its story of a Swedish diplomat in Pyongyang who begins a clandestine affair with a local traffic officer, took the jury prize of the Contrechamps section. The winners were announced at a gala ceremony in Annecy Saturday night. See the full list of 2025 Annecy Festival award winners below. CRISTAL FOR A FEATURE FILMArco, dir. Ugo Bienvenu, FranceJURY AWARDChaO, dir. Yasuhiro Aoki, JapanPAUL GRIMAULT AWARDDandelion's Odyssey, dir. Momoko Seto, France/BelgiumGAN FOUNDATION AWARD FOR DISTRIBUTIONOlivia and the Invisible Earthquake, dir. Irene Iborra Rizo, Spain/France/Belgium/Chile/SwitzerlandAUDIENCE AWARDLittle Amélie or the Character of Rain, dir. Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, France CONTRECHAMP GRAND PRIXEndless Cookie, dir. Seth Scriver, Pete Scriver, CanadaCONTRECHAMP JURY AWARDThe Square, dir. Bo-Sol Kim, South Korea CRISTAL FOR A SHORT FILMThe Night Boots, dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, FranceJURY AWARDLes Bêtes, dir. Michael Granberry, USAALEXEÏEFF–PARKER AWARDSappho, dir. Rosana Urbes, BrazilOFF‑LIMITS AWARDThe Graffiti, dir. Ryo Orikasa, JapanJEAN‑LUC XIBERRAS AWARD FOR A FIRST FILMZwermen, dir. Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger, Netherlands/BelgiumAUDIENCE AWARDThe Night Boots, dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, France CRISTAL FOR A TV PRODUCTIONChristo The Civilized Barbarian: 'Hunting Party', dir. Shaddy Safadi, USAJURY AWARD FOR A TV SERIESLena's Farm: 'Volles Nest', dir. Elena Walf, GermanyJURY AWARD FOR A TV SPECIALAn Almost Christmas Story, dir. David Lowery, USAAUDIENCE AWARDFreaked Out: 'Major Decision', dir. Théo Grosjean, Mothy Richard, Belgium/France CRISTAL FOR A GRADUATION FILMZootrope, dir. Léna Martinez, FranceJURY AWARDBetween the Gaps, dir. Martin Bonnin, FranceLOTTE REINIGER AWARDQ, dir. Masataka Kihara, Japan CRISTAL FOR THE BEST VR WORKFragile Home FRANCE TV AWARD FOR A SHORT FILMPooya Afzali, for At Night SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A SHORT FILMSebastian Hilli, for Dollhouse Elephant SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A FEATURE FILMArnaud Toulon, for Arco PABLO PICO DISTINCTION – SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A FEATURE FILMJean L'Appeau, for Death Does Not Exist CANAL+ JUNIOR JURY AWARDNathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears, for Forevergreen YOUNG AUDIENCE AWARDFrancis Desharnais, for The Great Annual Party of the Creatures of the Moon ANDRÉ MARTIN AWARD FOR A FRENCH SHORT FILMPierre‑Luc Granjon, for The Night Boots FESTIVALS CONNEXION AWARD FOR A VR WORKOndřej Moravec, Victoria Lopukhina, for Fragile Home XPPEN AWARD FOR A GRADUATION FILMJiali Tan, Haoyuan Zhu, for Won't Be Here VIMEO STAFF PICK AWARD FOR A SHORT FILM IN THE OFFICIAL AND OFF‑LIMITS CATEGORIESMichael Granberry, for Les Bêtes CITY OF ANNECY AWARDJustice Rutikara, for Ibuka, Justice CITY OF ANNECY JURY SPECIAL DISTINCTIONNiko Radas, for Psychonauts ALL CATEGORIES CINEKID FOR PROFESSIONALS PRIZE The Star‑Child MIFA – BEST PERFORMANCE PRIZECrocodile Dance MIFA – ANIMATION DU MONDE PRIZESun Chaser FEATURE FILMS SACD PRIZEMaryam & Varto CICLIC PRIZE Saima – Scenes from a Midlife Crisis CRISTAL PUBLISHING PRIZEThe Northern Star TITRAFILM PRIZEThe Last of the Pebbles SHORT FILMS SACD PRIZEA Blue Monday ARTE FRANCE PRIZEKateryna CICLIC PRIZEHaan NEF ANIMATION PRIZE Very Flexible Girl FILMVÆRKSTED VIBORG PRIZE Where Is My Espresso? STUDIOS ALHAMBRA PRIZEEscucha El Río TV SERIES & SPECIALS DISNEY TELEVISION ANIMATION PRIZEPouic and Pica PRIX CICLICBrune TITRAFILM PRIZE Beasties STUDIOS ALHAMBRA PRIZE The Star‑Child DOCUMENTARIES EURODOC PRIZEOuch! DOK LEIPZIG PRIZEBlack Diaries TITRAFILM PRIZEErased CRISTAL PUBLISHING PRIZEOuch! BIPTV PRIZEPlaying House CICLIC PRIZERed Zone IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES WEIRD MARKET PRIZEDamned THE BOOSTER BY UNITED XR EUROPE PRIZEPoems of Life NEWIMAGES PRIZEThe Mother Tree ANIDOX XR RESIDENCY PRIZE DeMaré – A Sensory Journey to the Depths of the Ocean Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
LeMonde
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Annecy animation festival awards top prize to 'Arco' by Ugo Bienvenu
While many French animation studios and their teams are grappling with a crisis, the French animation industry received significant recognition during the closing ceremony of the 49 th Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Saturday, June 14. The Cristal for Best Feature Film was awarded to Arco, named after a young hero from the future who falls from the sky and is taken in by a girl his age, Iris (their names reference "arco iris," rainbow in Spanish). This debut animated feature confirms 38-year-old Ugo Bienvenu's talent for crafting humanist futuristic fiction, whether it emerges in comics, like System Preference, or on the big screen. Another French production honored was Planètes (Planets) by Momoko Seto, which won the Paul-Grimault Prize. Described during its Annecy screening as "an action movie with plants," the film follows four dandelion achenes on an epic migratory journey. In the short film category, the jury also awarded a Cristal to French director Pierre-Luc Granjon for Les Bottes de la nuit (The Night Boots), a film created using the pinscreen animation technique and intended for a young audience.
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Natalie Portman puts on a leggy display in striking red minidress as she joins a glam Helena Christensen at Dior party during Cannes Film Festival
Natalie Portman and Helena Christensen displayed their impeccable style credentials on Saturday night as they arrived at the Dior party during Cannes Film Festival. Actress Natalie, 43, ensured all eyes were on her in a chic red minidress with a structured voluminous skirt that displayed her long legs. The elegant number boasted an intricate embroidered pattern and a velvet piping design with a matching belt to showcase the Hollywood star's tiny waist. She added a cropped tuxedo jacket over the top and elevated her height with a pair of strappy red stilettos as she waved to the crowd of adoring fans that had gathered outside. While Helena, 56, also cut a dazzling figure at the bash, looking sensational in a black flowing gown with a woven bodice and pleated skirt. The supermodel flashed a sultry glimpse of her cleavage in the lowcut dress, which she teamed with sparkly sandals and a beaded gold purse. Natalie made her first appearance at this year's film festival on Friday, as she made a glamorous appearance at the Arco photocall. She is both a star of the animated film as well as a producer alongside Sophie Mas, voicing the character of Gebeka. The movie, directed by Ugo Bienvenu, revolves around a boy named Arco who travels through time using rainbows but gets stuck in the wrong era. While Natalie is said to have found love with a Frenchman, after finalizing her divorce from her ex-husband Benjamin Millepied. After moving on from her 'cheating' ex, previously confirmed that the Oscar winner is now dating Tanguy Destable. The couple were seen putting on a loved-up display in March, as they enjoyed a romantic stroll through Paris, with the producer planting a kiss on her head. Tanguy, 44, is a famous French music producer, who has previously collaborated with a number of French stars including DJ David Guetta and singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. He was previously a member of the electropop group Yelle - alongside namesake artist Yelle, born Julie Budet, as well as GrandMarnier, also known as Jean-François Perrier - for seven years. As a part of the band, the musician also previously worked with Katy Perry as they opened 18 shows of the pop star's California Dreams Tour in 2011. Natalie was previously married to Benjamin, 46, for 13 years before she quietly filed to end their union in July 2023. The split came after the choreographer allegedly cheated on the Black Swan actress with a woman 21 years his junior. Last year, French outlet Voici released an explosive report claiming he had an affair with 25-year-old climate activist Camille Étienne. Natalie and Benjamin share two children together, son Aleph, 13, and eight-year-old daughter Amalia. This year's Cannes Film Festival is taking place in the wake of Trump´s vow to enact tariffs on international films. Cannes, where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d´Or, to give out at the end. Filmmakers come from nearly every corner of the globe to showcase their films while dealmakers work through the night to sell finished films or packaged productions to various territories. 'You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation,' says Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, who´s returning to Cannes with 'The Secret Agent, a thriller set during Brazil ´s dictatorship. 'You´ve got to really prepare for the whole experience because it´s quite intense - not very far from the feeling of approaching a roller coaster as you go up the steps at the Palais.' Trump sent shock waves through Hollywood and the international film community when he announced on May 4 that all movies "produced in Foreign Lands" will face 100% tariffs. The White House has said no final decisions have been made. Options being explored include federal incentives for U.S.-based productions, rather than tariffs. But the announcement was a reminder of how international tensions can destabilize even the oldest cultural institutions. The Cannes Film Festival originally emerged in the World War II years, when the rise of fascism in Italy led to the founding of an alternative to the then-government controlled Venice Film Festival. In the time since, Cannes´ resolute commitment to cinema has made it a beacon to filmmakers. Countless directors have come to make their name. This year is no different, though some of the first-time filmmakers at Cannes are already particularly well-known. Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water), Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great) and Harris Dickinson (Urchin) will all be unveiling their feature directorial debuts in Cannes´ Un Certain Regard sidebar section. Many Cannes veterans will be back, too, including Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning), Robert De Niro - who´s to receive an honorary Palme d´Or 49 years after Taxi Driver premiered in Cannes - and Quentin Tarantino, to pay tribute to low-budget Western director George Sherman. The much-anticipated eighth and final instalment of Mission Impossible was one of the earlier premieres on this year's Cannes calendar, with its glitzy red carpet taking place on Wednesday. Meanwhile Scarlett's directorial debut Eleanor The Great, will be unveiled this week on Tuesday. However, in the wake of his legal battle with former co-star Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni is not expected to attend. Over recent years the star-studded extravaganza has arguably won more attention for the outfits worn by its celebrity guests than the roster of feature films being screened on the Croisette. But new nudity rules, devised for 'the sake of decency,' have been implemented at this year's festival. According to organisers, the austere move is an attempt to stifle the celebrity trend for 'naked dresses' - namely provocative outfits that reveal considerably more than they conceal - on the red carpet. 'For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as any other area of the festival,' states a Cannes festival document. 'The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.' The surprise new policy features in a recent festival-goers charter - released with a series of outlines regarding expected public behaviour. Guests are expected to converge on the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière for some of the highest profile film screenings across a packed two-week schedule in Cannes. It's understood that the iconic venue now adopts a more conservative dress code, with suits, dinner jackets and floor-length evening gowns generally favoured over headline grabbing ensembles. Classic little black dresses, cocktail dresses, pant-suits, dressy tops and elegant sandals, 'with or without a heel', will also be permitted. While the decision to implement a more stringent policy will be a first, it is not known if French TV broadcasters, wary of airing nudity, played a role in its enforcement. Major red carpet events, including the Cannes Film Festival, are aired in France by France Télévisions Recently attracting more models and influencers than actors and filmmakers, the annual ceremony has seen an increase in risque red carpet fashion statements. In 2021, American supermodel Bella Hadid bared her cleavage in a plunging black gown while attending a screening of Tre Piani (Three Floors). She pulled a similar stunt three years later, with guests at the 2024 gala left speechless after she attended the premiere of Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice completely braless beneath a sheer brown evening dress.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Arco' Review: In Charming, Natalie Portman-Produced French Animated Film, a Boy From the Future Must Find His Way Home
In Arco, French illustrator Ugo Bienvenu couches a considered meditation on ecological disaster within the dulcet grooves of a charming story about adolescent friendship. The debut feature, which premiered at Cannes as a special screening (and counts Natalie Portman among its producers), follows a 10-year-old boy (voiced by Oscar Tresanini) from the future whose maiden time travel voyage goes terribly awry. He lands in the year 2075, where he meets a girl his age (Margot Ringard Oldra) who tries to help him return home. Their adventure takes place during a critical period in Earth's history and becomes a lesson for both children about the natural world and the enduring impact of meaningful bonds. This might be Bienvenu's first film, but the director's interest in rendering the future and considering the stakes of technology on humanity stretch back a long time. His graphic novel System Preference, which has already been translated into nearly a dozen languages and will be published in the United States this fall, contemplates a reality in which data becomes a precious commodity and humans must delete important cultural artifacts to make more space for lower-stakes digital storage. An archivist attempts to save critical traditions and artwork by storing the condemned data in the memory of a domestic robot named Mikki. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'The President's Cake' Review: An Iraqi Schoolgirl's Odyssey Among Grown-ups Is a Tragicomic Gem 'All Quiet on the Western Front' Writer Lesley Paterson Penning Bertha Benz Film (Exclusive) 'The Little Sister' Review: Coming-of-Age Drama About a French Muslim's Lesbian Awakening Is a Low-Key Stunner Mikki — or at least a version of this yellow and black android — appears in Arco. When we first meet the machine, it's caring for Iris (Oldra) and her infant brother Peter. The non-sentient being functions as a nanny, watching the children when their parents are at work. With the help of some other devices, Mikki (Alma Jodorowsky and Swann Arlaud) is able to project holograms of Iris and Peter's parents (also voiced by Jodorowsky and Arlaud) at the dinner table and during nighttime routines. Iris' world is filled with the kind of technology that doesn't seem so far off from our present. In the year 2075, humans have outsourced a range of tasks to droids and adapted to unpredictable weather patterns with various tools. Entire neighborhoods are retrofitted with clear glass domes that activate during extreme rainstorms and uncontrollable wildfires. Robots surveil the streets as police officers, educate students as teachers and deliver packages as postal employees. What roles people still play in day-to-day life is not entirely clear. Working with his skilled team of animators, Bienvenu evokes Iris' world with the detail and bold touch of a realist. Like those 19th-century artists, the director tries to represent his vision of the future with sobriety. He doesn't romanticize a moment at which robots reign and Earth shows even more signs of duress. An obvious point of comparison — both in terms of style and themes — for Bienvenu's work are the animations of Hayao Miyazaki, but the French illustrator's use of bold lines for contouring people and shapes, combined with the detailed landscape, gestures toward more traditional comic inspirations. The director relies on a palette of stark colors to ground Iris' surroundings in ways that give Arco an elegiac mood. Working from a straightforward screenplay co-written by Félix de Givry, Bienvenu balances the melancholic aesthetics with a narrative filled with optimistic threads. Arco opens in the future, when the titular character's parents and older sister return from a time-traveling trip. In this version of the world, humans live among the clouds in colonies that resemble arboretums. Voyages to different eras help these future societies learn more about what the Earth used to be and what it could provide. Children under 12 aren't allowed to time-travel yet, but Arco is too impatient to wait two years. As his family sleeps peacefully in anti-gravitational pods, the curious adolescent steals his sister's time-traveling robe — a rainbow-patterned adorned cape — and makes his first trip. The journey doesn't go well and Arco lands in 2075 in the middle of a forest, where Iris comes across his momentarily unconscious body. She saves him from a group of siblings — Frankie (William Lebghil), Dougie (Vincent Macaigne) and Stewie (Louis Garrel) — who have spent their lives trying to prove the existence of these otherworldly rainbow people. Their gadgets direct them to where Arco rests just a few meters away, but Iris, quick on her feet, lies to them. Once the coast is clear, she takes Arco back to her house. These two children quickly forge a bond built on mutual curiosity and a shared love of nature. Despite an initial reluctance to break a key rule of time travel (people from the past shouldn't know anything about the future), Arco shares bits of information about himself. He tells Iris about the events that led to humans living in the tree houses and how he really shouldn't have stolen his sister's cape. He also gives Iris, who loves birds, mini-lessons on how to speak to the creatures. In turn, Iris teaches Arco how to fit into the current era and helps him try to get back home. It's clear that Arco staves off Iris' loneliness while the young girl inspires the boy from the future. Close-ups of the characters' expressive faces add a meaningful layer to the film. One does wish that Arco had a clearer logic around its own science-fiction principals, especially when it comes to how time passes in the past versus the future. A later thread, which involves Mikki translating his memories, begins to address larger questions about cultural and historical preservation, but that, too, comes off as less developed than other plot points. As Arco and Iris try to recreate the necessary weather conditions for Arco's flight (it must be raining and sunny at the same time), the residents of their town prepare for a dangerous wildfire. Meanwhile, Iris' friend Clifford (Nathanaël Perrot), suspicious of this boy whom Iris introduced as a cousin, tries to figure out what she's trying to hide. Bienvenu and de Givry effectively build a hopeful climate change story around these little dramas of adolescent friendship and loneliness. The looming environmental disaster is reflected in emergency drills and empty grocery store aisles. There's a haunting quality to this, especially considering how much of contemporary life it mirrors, but like Claude Barras' galvanizing animated feature Savages, which premiered at Cannes last year, Arco roots for a future in which humans do survive. The film aims to inspire action and stave off despair with a reminder that the most powerful tool younger generations can wield is their imagination. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Natalie Portman puts on a VERY leggy display in a black embroidered mini dress as she poses at the Arco photocall during Cannes Film Festival
Natalie Portman put on a very leggy display in a mini dress as she posed at the Arco photocall during Cannes Film Festival on Friday. The Hollywood star, 43, looked sensational in the stylish black embroidered number, and she elevated her height in matching strappy heels. She accessorised with dainty silvery jewellery and dark shades, and scraped her brunette tresses back into a neat ponytail. Natalie flashed her dazzling white smile and put on an animated display for photographers and fans at the event. Natalie is involved in the animated film Arco as both a voice actress and a producer. She voices the character Gebeka and also produces the film alongside Sophie Mas. The movie, directed by Ugo Bienvenu, revolves around a boy named Arco who travels through time using rainbows but gets stuck in the wrong era. This year's Cannes Film Festival is taking place in the wake of Trump´s vow to enact tariffs on international films. Cannes, where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d´Or, to give out at the end. Filmmakers come from nearly every corner of the globe to showcase their films while dealmakers work through the night to sell finished films or packaged productions to various territories. 'You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation,' says Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, who´s returning to Cannes with 'The Secret Agent, a thriller set during Brazil ´s dictatorship. 'You´ve got to really prepare for the whole experience because it´s quite intense - not very far from the feeling of approaching a roller coaster as you go up the steps at the Palais.' Trump sent shock waves through Hollywood and the international film community when he announced on May 4 that all movies "produced in Foreign Lands" will face 100% tariffs. The White House has said no final decisions have been made. Options being explored include federal incentives for U.S.-based productions, rather than tariffs. But the announcement was a reminder of how international tensions can destabilize even the oldest cultural institutions. The Cannes Film Festival originally emerged in the World War II years, when the rise of fascism in Italy led to the founding of an alternative to the then-government controlled Venice Film Festival. Natalie flashed her dazzling white smile and put on an animated display for photographers and fans The movie, directed by Ugo Bienvenu (pictured), revolves around a boy named Arco who travels through time using rainbows but gets stuck in the wrong era In the time since, Cannes´ resolute commitment to cinema has made it a beacon to filmmakers. Countless directors have come to make their name. This year is no different, though some of the first-time filmmakers at Cannes are already particularly well-known. Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water), Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great) and Harris Dickinson (Urchin) will all be unveiling their feature directorial debuts in Cannes´ Un Certain Regard sidebar section. Many Cannes veterans will be back, too, including Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning), Robert De Niro - who´s to receive an honorary Palme d´Or 49 years after Taxi Driver premiered in Cannes - and Quentin Tarantino, to pay tribute to low-budget Western director George Sherman. The much-anticipated eighth and final instalment of Mission Impossible is one of the earlier premieres on this year's Cannes calendar, with its glitzy red carpet taking place on Wednesday, May 14. Meanwhile Scarlett's directorial debut Eleanor The Great, will be unveiled on May 20. However, in the wake of his legal battle with former co-star Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni is not expected to attend. Over recent years the star-studded extravaganza has arguably won more attention for the outfits worn by its celebrity guests than the roster of feature films being screened on the Croisette. But new nudity rules, devised for 'the sake of decency,' have been implemented at this year's festival. According to organisers, the austere move is an attempt to stifle the celebrity trend for 'naked dresses' - namely provocative outfits that reveal considerably more than they conceal - on the red carpet. 'For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as any other area of the festival,' states a Cannes festival document. 'The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.' The surprise new policy features in a recent festival-goers charter - released with a series of outlines regarding expected public behaviour. Guests are expected to converge on the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière for some of the highest profile film screenings across a packed two-week schedule in Cannes. It's understood that the iconic venue now adopts a more conservative dress code, with suits, dinner jackets and floor-length evening gowns generally favoured over headline grabbing ensembles. Classic little black dresses, cocktail dresses, pant-suits, dressy tops and elegant sandals, 'with or without a heel', will also be permitted. While the decision to implement a more stringent policy will be a first, it is not known if French TV broadcasters, wary of airing nudity, played a role in its enforcement. Major red carpet events, including the Cannes Film Festival, are aired in France by France Télévisions Recently attracting more models and influencers than actors and filmmakers, the annual ceremony has seen an increase in risque red carpet fashion statements. In 2021, American supermodel Bella Hadid bared her cleavage in a plunging black gown while attending a screening of Tre Piani (Three Floors). She pulled a similar stunt three years later, with guests at the 2024 gala left speechless after she attended the premiere of Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice completely braless beneath a sheer brown evening dress.
