The 79th Cannes Film Festival Has Begun

The 79th Cannes Film Festival has officially commenced in France. The festivities opened with the screening of Pierre Salvadori’s French feature, “Electric Venus.”

The film follows Antoine, a young artist struggling to rekindle his creativity following the tragic passing of his wife. He begins to find solace and a spark of inspiration through spiritualist sessions conducted by a young woman with no actual connection to the supernatural. The cast features Pio Marmaï, Anaïs Demoustier, Gilles Lellouche, and others.

A total of 22 films are competing for the top prize, including Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “The Minotaur,” Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord,” Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Lamb in a Box,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Out of the Blue,” and Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bitter Christmas.”

The festival will run through May 23, with acclaimed director Park Chan-wook presiding as the jury president.

Photo: Getty