Cannes Highlights

2 min read

This year’s Cannes Film Festival could have been easily mistaken for ‘Cannes Fashion Festival’, with a flurry of models taking to the runway, couture gowns galore and wardrobe changes aplenty – fashion was challenging the handful of masterpieces premiering at the event for the limelight.

By Jemma Walker

Jacques Audiard’s Dheepan, an emotional tale following the struggles of a Sri Lankan Tamil warrior who flees to Europe with two strangers, posing as his family in an attempt to claim asylum, won the coveted Palme d’Or award. An amazing achievement to mark both Jesuthasan Antonythsan’s and Kalieaswari Srinivasan’s screen debut – bravo! Among the other celebrated creations were Son of Saul and Waves ’98; and Rooney Mara, Emmanuelle Bercot and Vincent Lindon won prizes for their breathtaking performances. As the awards have been given out and the 11 days of films, fashion and finesse have come to a close, MOJEH.com are reminiscing the highlights from the Festival de Cannes.

Rooney Mara, winner of the Best Actress prize, image courtesy of Corbis

Rooney Mara, winner of the Best Actress prize, image courtesy of Corbis

It was refreshing to see Hollywood’s finest basking in the French sun, laughing alongside co-stars and making an active move towards gender equality – both in front of and behind the camera. Last year’s event came under scrutiny after only two female directors were entered into the competition; however this year sparks were flying for all the right reasons. With La Tête Haute directed by Emmanuelle Bercot opening the 2015 Cannes Film Festival – the first female director to do so since 1987 – and Charlize Theron staring in the spectacular Mad Max: Fury Road as a one armed, shaven-headed female survivor of the apocalypse (whose fighting skills challenge the mighty Tom Hardy) – women were all powerful. Emily Blunt received a string of compliments for her portrayal of tough FBI agent Kate Macy in thriller Sicario, although she said at the premiere, ‘I actually think there’s a lot of powerful female roles here this year and it shouldn’t be seen as such an anomaly’. Welcome the year of la femme.

Emily Blunt and her Sicario co-stars on the red carpet

Emily Blunt and her Sicario co-stars on the red carpet

Cannes is the home for controversy. Daring direction and unique scripts test the boundaries of film – although this year it was footwear causing havoc. Claims arose that older women were refused entry to film premieres because of their flat footwear – with films channeling girl power the story soon captured everyone’s attention – even jewelled sandals were rumoured to have broken the strict Cannes dress code. The humorously named ‘Flatgate’ drama was addressed by the festival’s director, Thierry Fremaux, as ‘not true’, blaming the controversy on a security guard with an ‘excess of zeal’ during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

With boos erupting at The Sea of Trees premiere, one film outshone the rest. Carol was the first Cannes film to make waves; Cate Blanchett’s engaging performance alongside Rooney Mara washed over audiences – before anyone had left the cinema ‘Best Actress’ was being whispered throughout the South of France. Although she missed out on the award, the Oscar-winning actress won over the red carpet.

Images courtesy of Corbis

Now, as we bid au revoir to the 68th Cannes Film Festival we take a look at the actress’ standing out from the crowd in their daring designs awash with feathers, embellishment and colour. 

Images courtesy of Corbis