Wild at Heart (1990) Only a month after the pilot episode for his breakthrough show Twin Peaks aired, director David Lynch captured the Palme d’Or for this lurid crime fantasia. Not all were pleased with the riding-high filmmaker: The ceremony’s announcement was drowned out by boos, the loudest (they say) from critic Roger Ebert. […]
Cannes Film Fest: sex, lies & videotape, Controversial Winners
October 5, 2023 by
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) Steven Soderbergh’s breakthrough had a glorious debut at Sundance Fest, winning the Audience Award, then went on to Cannes, where it took the Palme d’Or and the FIPRESCI Prize. Photograph: Courtesy Swank Motion Pictures No one complained—except for Spike Lee, who clearly felt his film, Do the Right Thing was […]
Cannes Film Fest: Bresson’s L’Argent, Controversial Winners
October 5, 2023 by
L’Argent (1983) Robert Bresson is among cinema’s most respected directors, but that didn’t stop Cannes audiences from booing the premiere of what became his final film, an accusatory but incredible ensemble drama about the fallout from a few counterfeit bills. Orson Welles’s jury recognized L’Argent as the real deal, and allowed Bresson to split the […]
Cannes Film Fest: Taxi Driver, Controversial Winners
October 5, 2023 by
Taxi Driver (1976) Now it seems like an example of a jury doing their job perfectly right—awarding Martin Scorsese’s powder keg the Palme d’Or. But the boos at screenings were vociferous, and even jury chair Tennessee Williams held the movie at a distasteful arm’s length, telling reporters, “Films should not take a voluptuous pleasure in […]
Tatami: Film from Israeli Guy Nattiv and Iranian Zar Amir Ebrahimi Lands Global Sales (Groundbreaking Collaboration)
October 5, 2023 by
The film — about an Iranian judo fighter forced to make a life-changing decision — is the first feature to be co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian.
