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Now that the 70th Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, we thought it'd be a good time to pause and take stock.
SEE ALSO:'The Meyerowitz Stories' is the best film Adam Sandler's been in for a long, long timeDuring the festival's opening weekend, Mashablespoke to festival-goers in the Palais and along La Croisette to find out which films people are most excited about.
From Netflix's dark coming-of-age fantasy Okjato the Kristen Stewart's new short film Come Swim, here are some of the responses we received...
Alicia Malone, 35, film critic and reporter
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:The Killing of a Sacred Deer(Yorgos Lanthimos)
Why?I saw The Lobsterhere in Cannes, two years ago, and it blew my mind. I'd seen Dogtoothpreviously and I think he just has such a unique voice.
Noemia Nakia, 26, actress
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:Come Swim(Kiristen Stewart)
Why?I like her as an actress and I'd like to see what she can do as a director.
David Ehrlich, 32, senior film critic at IndieWire
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:The Beguiled(Sofia Coppola)
Why?Sofia Coppola is my favourite working film-maker today. It's been far too long since her last film.
Camille Coqueugniot, 24, actress
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:Wonderstruck(Todd Haynes)
Why?I really liked it. I loved the fact they mixed different ages, and it's also the first film I've seen in Cannes. So it's kind of something. I like the fact also that it's focussing on deaf people and that the young actress is actually deaf, I think it brings something more emotional and it's giving more of a statement to the movie.
Michael Meyns, 43, film critic
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:Redoubtable(Michel Hazanavicius)
Why?I'm curious about the film from Michel Hazanavicius (the director of The Artist), who shot a biopic about Jean Luc-Godard and Anne Wiazemsky, who lived together in the early sixties for one year. And Louis Garrel is playing Jean Luc-Godard, so that should be quite an interesting film about an interesting part of French film history.
Rebecca Sharp, 24, edit assistant
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:120 Best per Minute(Robin Campillo)
Why?I love films that are more controversial, and I've been meaning to see a French film in France for a while. I'm really excited to see what it's like and what comes of it as well.
Johann Rucker, 21, film student
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:Okja(Bong Joon-ho)
Why?I'm really, really into Bong Joon-ho. I think he's one of cinema's most important voices. He's very playful when it comes to genre and the way he utilises actors. I'm a very, very big fan of him -- I have mixed thoughts about Netflix, but to see him get a platform that big is very, very cool and I think super important that his voice gets to be heard on that kind of level. I watched it; it messed me up. It's really, really good. I'm not a big Spielberg fan but it's very Spielberg-y, it's very NeverEnding Story. I do think the third act deflates quite a bit but I thought it was an absolute blast.
Rowan Hall, 23, director/actor
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:Okja(Bong Joon-ho)
Why?I was most excited about Okjaand I just saw it yesterday and it lived up to my expectations and exceeded them. I thought it was the perfect blend of social activism and a little bit of satire and a little bit of childish fun, almost.
Robbie Collin, 36, Telegraph film critic
Credit: sam haysomMost excited about:The Killing of a Sacred Deer(Yorgos Lanthimos) and A Gentle Creature(Sergei Loznitsa)
Why?I loved The Lobsterand I heard [The Killing of a Sacred Deer] is quite a twitchy and uncomfortable experience, and in Cannes that kind of thing is always good -- it gets people talking, it might get people booing or cheering, and it might make a lively screening, which is what I sort of look for. And also the new Sergei Loznitsa film A Gentle Creature,purely because I'm an enormous fan of his work. He's very due, if not overdue, a Palme D'or, and everything I know about the new one just seems very promising and very encouraging.
Final thoughts
Although I was only at Cannes over the opening weekend and didn't get to see too many films, I wanted to throw two of my own choices into the mix: Noah Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Stories(which I saw on Sunday morning and really, really enjoyed), and Michael Haneke's Happy End(which I didn't get to see, but judging from the reactions on Twitter it sounds like it's been really well received). Haneke might not be everyone's cup of tea, but he's a powerful film-maker who always delivers something interesting.
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