According To The variety Lyon, the birthplace of cinema, is preparing to welcome a host of A-list guests for its annual celebration of both heritage and contemporary cinema, the Lumière Film Festival.
Run by Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux, the event is gearing up for its 17th edition, with Michael Mann set to receive the festival’s Lumière Award for his body of work.
This year, the festival further strengthens its ties to U.S. film culture with masterclasses by Natalie Portman, guest of honor Sean Penn, and the first major retrospective of Hollywood icon Martin Ritt. An actor’s director, Ritt guided 13 of his stars to Oscar glory. U.S.-based Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, a Lumière regular, is returning to Lyon to present Netflix’ “Frankenstein,” one of the fall’s most anticipated releases.
Penn will reflect on his directing career, with a large-scale screening of his 2007 film “Into the Wild,” while Portman will headline a “Black Swan” tribute and present “Arco,” Ugo Bienvenu’s new animation film, which she produced. We felt it was important to turn our attention towards America – what’s going on has left us somewhat speechless in recent months – and to restate our love for its cinema, and our desire to celebrate it,” chief programmer Maelle Arnaud told Variety. “At the same time, we also have a strong line-up from Asia and from Eastern Europe,” she added, emphasizing the festival’s aim to embrace a diversity of perspectives as both a cultural and political gesture.
“It’s a reminder that culture has its say in the making of history, and that bringing together narratives from different parts of the world is more important than ever given the fragility of the state of the world,” Arnaud added.
The program mirrors that outlook, mixing a salute to American movies with tributes to filmmakers from Europe and Asia.
Hong Kong director John Woo (“The Killer, “Hard Boiled”) will sit for a masterclass and present restored versions of his classics, and Japanese iconoclast Seijun Suzuki, long celebrated for his unruly inventiveness – which inspired the likes of former Lumière Award laureates Quentin Tarantino and Wong Kar-wai – will be feted with five titles.
On the Eastern European side, Hungarian veteran István Szabó will speak about his work reflecting on Europe’s upheavals in the second half of the 20th century, and audiences will have a chance to explore a selection of films by Konrad Wolf, one East Germany’s most influential filmmakers.
The Ritt retrospective offers a chance to rediscover a director known for his socially committed Hollywood dramas such as “Hud,” “The Long Hot Summer,” and “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.” “What struck us when revisiting his films is this double dimension,” Arnaud said. “On one hand, a deep social engagement – issues of race and social justice – and on the other, an extraordinary delicacy in his portrayal of relationships.”
As part of the festival’s ongoing spotlight on women filmmakers, a major retrospective is devoted to Norwegian director Anja Breien, a central figure of her country’s new wave, celebrated for her sharp feminist stories and social dramas such as “Next of Kin” and “Paper Bird.” Her “Wives” films, where she revisits the same characters a decade apart, remains a landmark in feminist cinema.
Another festival highlight is the tribute to French actor and theater director Louis Jouvet, “one of the great reference points for the Actors Studio and Lee Strasberg,” according to Arnaud – a reminder of how deeply French stage and screen traditions have helped shape international acting.
High-profile premieres include “Frankenstein” and Disney’s Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” starring Jeremy Allen White and directed by Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart.”) “While Lumière is rooted in cinema history, we believe honoring the past also means embracing the present,” Arnaud noted. “The fact that studios start factoring Lumière into their release strategies says a lot about how much clout the festival has gained,” she added – a point highlighted by del Toro’s habit of bringing his latest work to Lyon.
Palme d’Or contenders “Eagles of the Republic,” the final instalment in Tarik Saleh’s Cairo Trilogy, and Dominik Moll’s “Dossier 137,” as well as directorial debuts by Juliette Binoche (“In-I Motion”) and Shu Qi (“Girl”) will also be screened.
Last year’s Lumière Award laureate Isabelle Huppert will return with “La Femme la Plus Riche du Monde” by Thierry Klifa, while Rebecca Zlotowski will present “Vie Privée.”
Classic screenings include works by John Ford, Werner Herzog and Stanley Kubrick. Cine-concerts will pair Victor Sjöström’s “The Wind” (1928) with live orchestra and “The Phantom Carriage” (1921) with live organ, while the festival’s all-night filmathon will spotlight Japanese animation from Miyazaki to Satoshi Kon.
The festival’s 17th edition opens with former Lumière Award laureate Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on Oct. 11 and wraps with Michael Mann’s “Heat” on Oct. 19.
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