Once Upon a Time in Hol­ly­wood added to Cannes line-up

Fol­low­ing months of spec­u­la­tion, Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, Once Upon a Time in Hol­ly­wood, will offi­cial­ly receive its world pre­mière at the 72^nd Cannes Film Fes­ti­val this month.

At the line-up con­fer­ence in April, Gen­er­al Del­e­gate Thier­ry Fré­maux hint­ed that a slot was being kept open for the Amer­i­can writer/​director, who was report­ed­ly rac­ing to get the film ready in time. Today Fré­maux has revealed that he’s done it:

“We were afraid the film would not be ready, as it wouldn’t be released until late July, but Quentin Taran­ti­no, who has not left the edit­ing room in four months, is a real, loy­al and punc­tu­al child of Cannes. Like for Inglou­ri­ous Bas­ter­ds, he’ll def­i­nite­ly be there – 25 years after the Palme d’Or for Pulp Fic­tion – with a fin­ished film screened in 35mm and his cast in tow. His film is a love let­ter to the Hol­ly­wood of his child­hood, a rock music tour of 1969, and an ode to cin­e­ma as a whole.”

From every­thing we know about the film’s pro­duc­tion, it sounds like it’s been a mon­ster to edit. Let’s hope QT has pulled some­thing spe­cial out of his lit­tle green bag.

Also new to the main com­pe­ti­tion is Mek­toub, My Love: Inter­mez­zo by Abdel­latif Kechiche, the Blue is the Warmest Colour director’s fol­low-up to last year’s Can­to Uno, while there’s a Mid­night Screen­ing spot for Gas­par Noé’s medi­um-length film Lux Æter­na, star­ring Béa­trice Dalle and Char­lotte Gainsbourg.

Final­ly, Laris­sa Sadilova’s Odnazhdy v Trubchevske and Loren­zo Mattotti’s La Famosa Inva­sione Degli Orsi in Sicil­ia have been added to the Un Cer­tain Regard sec­tion, and there will be a Spe­cial Screen­ing of Gael Gar­cía Bernal’s sec­ond direc­to­r­i­al fea­ture, Chicuarotes.

The Cannes Film Fes­ti­val runs 13 – 25 May. Check out the full line-up and fol­low us @LWLies for reports and first look reviews.