Cannes 2024: Our Writers’ Top Picks

The 77th Cannes Film Festival concluded with the announcement of the awards on Saturday, May 25, 2024. The jury, led by Greta Gerwig, awarded the Palme d’Or to American filmmaker Sean Baker for his film Anora, a Cinderella-esque journey of a sex worker against all odds. While the awards highlight certain tones and themes, they only scratch the surface of the cinematic brilliance showcased over the fortnight, not only in the main competition but also in Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight, Critics’ Week, and ACID.

For two weeks, our journalists roamed the streets of Cannes, from Théâtre Croisette to Grand Théâtre Lumière, savoring the festival’s selections. Our comprehensive coverage can be found here. But first, here’s a brief selection of our team’s most beautiful discoveries and favorites from this year’s Cannes.

Abdul Latif‘s top picks:

• All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia (Competition)
• When the Light Breaks by Rúnar Rúnarsson (Un Certain Regard)
• Animale by Emma Benestan (Critics’ Week)

Ryan Yau‘s top picks:

• Christmas Eve at Miller’s Point by Tyler Taormina (Directors’ Fortnight)
• In His Own Image by Thierry de Peretti (Directors’ Fortnight)
• Visiting Hours by Patricia Mazuy (Directors’ Fortnight)

Michael Granados‘ top picks:

• Grand Tour by Miguel Gomes (Competition)
• Miséricorde by Alain Guiraudie (Cannes Première)
• Viet and Nam by Truong Minh Quý (Un Certain Regard)

Prachi Bari‘s top picks:

• All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia (Competition)
• The Kingdom by Julien Colonna (Un Certain Regard)
• Desert of Namibia by Yôko Yamanaka (Directors’ Fortnight)

Margot Amadei‘s top picks:

• Armand by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel (Un Certain Regard)
• Radikals by Arvin Belarmino (Critics’ Week)

Samuel Chalom‘s top picks:

• The Seed of the Sacred Fig by Mohammad Rasoulof (Competition)
• The Substance by Coralie Fargeat (Competition)
• Bird by Andrea Arnold (Competition)

Ambroisine Dubois‘ top picks:

• Santosh by Sandhya Suri (Un Certain Regard)
• Parthenope by Paolo Sorrentino (Competition)

Mehdi Balamissa‘s top picks:

• The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, by Nebojša Slijepcevic (Short Film Palme d’Or)
• Sauna Day, by Anna Hints & Tushar Prakash (Critics’ Week)

Find our complete coverage of the 77th Cannes Film Festival here, and join our journalists soon at Sheffield DocFest, Tribeca, Doc Edge, FID Marseille, and Karlovy Vary.