Canadian filmmaker Monia Chokri’s feature Simple comme Sylvain has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard competition.
The French festival announced its lineup on Thursday (April 13), which includes opening title Jeanne du Barry, directed by French actor and filmmaker Maïwenn.
Simple comme Sylvain is written and directed by Chokri, who will make her return to Cannes after winning the festival’s Coup de cœur prize in 2019.
The film is produced by Sylvain Corbeil and Nancy Grant of Montreal’s Metafilms. Immina Films holds Canadian distribution rights. It has received production support from Telefilm Canada and the Quebecor Fund, as well as funding from SODEC.
Simple comme Sylvain stars Magalie Lépine Blondeau and Pierre-Yves Cardinal. It follows two lovers from different economic classes who can’t resist their passion for one another.
The Un Certain Regard competition recognizes films from auteur or emerging filmmakers. The lineup will open with French filmmaker Thomas Cailley’s Le Règne animal.
The 76th Cannes Film Festival runs from May 16 to 27 in Cannes, France. High-profile selections for this year’s lineup include Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Monster, which are slated for the main competition, and Martin Scorsese’s out-of-competition film Killers of the Flower Moon.
Image courtesy of Immina Films, photo by Fred Gervais