Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who is known for creating the modern-day classic Gangs of Wasseypur, Ugly, Gulaal, and No Smoking, is once again set to visit the French Riviera as his next film Kennedy starring Sunny Leone, Rahul Bhatt, and Abhilash Thapliyal has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
On April 13, an announcement was made by the festival through its official Twitter handle. They tweeted: “KENNEDY by Anurag KASHYAP #SeanceDeMinuit / #MidnightScreenings #Cannes2023.” The film will be a part of the midnight screening section. Kashyap has been a regular at Cannes.
KENNEDY by Anurag KASHYAP
#SéanceDeMinuit / #MidnightScreenings #Cannes2023— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) April 13, 2023
The film that is said to be based on a gangster’s life, Kashyap’s Kennedy, is the only Indian Film that has been selected to be showcased at the festival.
While his magnum opus Gangs of Wasseypur (GoW)Â screened at the 2012 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival, the anthology film Bombay Talkies, on which he served as one of the directors, premiered under Special Screenings at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Kashyap’s Next Ugly was released a year after GoW and was screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it also received a standing ovation. His Raman Raghav 2.0 also premiered in the Director’s Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
Starting May 16, Cannes Film Festival 2023 will showcase films by Wes Anderson, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wim Wenders, Ken Loach, Todd Haynes, and Steve McQueen. Maiwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, starring the director opposite Johnny Depp, will open the festival on May 16.
Indian films have significantly impacted the Cannes Film Festival over the years. Several Indian films have been showcased at the prestigious festival, which has helped to increase their visibility and recognition on a global level. Some of the notable Indian films that have been screened at Cannes include Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, which was the first Indian film to be screened at Cannes in the competition section. Indian cinema has come a long way, and its presence at the Cannes Film Festival only adds to its prestige and influence in filmmaking.
Considered one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, the Cannes Film Festival is part of the ‘Big 3’ European film festivals besides the Venice Film Festival and the Berlinale.
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