Georges Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola were both honored at Cannes.
The former gave a rare interview and was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or, a few rare extracts of which we present here:
The latter was in competition with Megalopolis, a proposal that divided and agitated the Croisette. The critics had a field day, between those who understood the film because they knew Coppola perfectly (Posture?) and those who were unable to penetrate the film’s universe. And then there are those like us who understood the film – admittedly not all of it, but understood the artistic gesture – and yet remain put off by the film’s overall aesthetic, despite the post-modern references.
In any case, the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival was marked by a wonderful scene, when Coppola presented Georges Lucas with his honorary Palme d’Or. It’s a pity that Paul Schrader, who was also in competition with the beautiful and gentle Oh Canada, a tribute to his friend Russell Banks, also failed to win a prize.
In any case, the evening was totally American, with Greta Gerwig awarding the Palme d’Or to Sean Baker for Anora.