TOP GUN © Paramount Pictures All Rights Reserved
See you tonight at the Cinéma de la Plage
The Festival also celebrates cinema at the beach, under the open sky, with restored cinematic gems and world premieres. On the program this year: American-style action, made-in-Japan thrillers and classics of European cinema. Guests include Ken Loach, Claude Lelouch and other filmmakers who have come to present their films. See you every evening at 9:30 p.m. at Plage Macé, opposite the Majestic hotel, just a few steps from the Palais des Festivals.
TONIGHT AT THE CINÉMA DE LA PLAGE
1986, 1 hr. 50 mins, United States
A pilot second to none, Pete Maverick has a lot to prove since his father crashed in Vietnam. In the air and on two wheels, he lives only for speed and danger. When he finds himself in the running for the title of top pilot, he falls for Charlotte Blackwood, who turns out to be an instructor. But there’s one golden rule: a professor can’t date their student…
Why (re)watch this film?
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, this high-octane classic led by Tom Cruise returns to the big screen. With adrenaline-fueled aerial sequences, unforgettable characters and an original soundtrack forever etched into Gen X’s memories, Top Gun remains a mainstream cinema classic.
Screening in the presence of Frédéric Moget, Managing Director of Paramount Pictures France and Charles H. Rivkin, CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
COMING SOON TO THE CINÉMA DE LA PLAGE
Thursday, May 14
SHINKANSEN DAIBAKUHA (Super Express 109 / The Bullet Train) by Junya Sato
1975, 2 hrs. 32 mins, Japan
Hop aboard the Shinkansen and be one of the 1,500 passengers racing at full speed between Tokyo and Hakata. But be warned, this trip could be your last. A bomb planted under the train by a terrorist is set to explode if the train’s speed drops below 80 km/h. When a ransom of 5 million dollars is demanded, the whole country is on alert.
Why (re)watch this film?
Are you a fan of Speed? The 1990s cult thriller starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock draws directly on Super Express 109. Its director, Jan de Bont, was inspired by the story and visual elements, shifting all the action to a bus. In 1975, the release of Super Express 109 firmly placed Junya Sato as a leading filmmaker of Japanese action cinema.
Screening in the presence of Kota Saka (Toei Company, ltd.).
FRIDAY, MAY 15
LES CAPRICES DE L’ENFANT ROI (Molière, Cyrano and the Young King) by Michel Leclerc
2026, 1 hr. 58 mins, France – WORLD PREMIERE
1651. Louis (not yet XIV) is a young teenager. As the Fronde threatens, his mother Anne of Austria decides to smuggle her son to safety and replaces him with a lookalike. Watched over by D’Artagnan and Cyrano de Bergerac, Louis is hidden within Madeleine Béjart and Molière’s theatre troupe.
As Madeleine and Cyrano discover a shared passion for the young Molière, Louis discovers life and its pleasures, art and work, courage and strategy — everything that will shape him into the Sun King.
Why watch this film?
The day after its screening in Special Screening for festival-goers, Les Caprices de l’enfant roi (Molière, Cyrano and the Young King) opens to the public on the beach, in presence of the director, Michel Leclerc, and of actors Artus, Franck Dubosc, Julia Piaton, Doria Tillier, Suzanne de Baecque, Niels Hamel-Brochen and Nemo Schiffman. The perfect opportunity to discover this genre-blending film, both a romantic comedy and a coming-of-age story under the guise of a period drama.
SATURDAY, MAY 16
UN HOMME ET UNE FEMME (A Man and a Woman) by Claude Lelouch
1966, 1 hr. 42 mins, France
Inconsolable since the death of her stuntman husband, Anne meets Jean-Louis, a racecar driver whose wife, in despair, took her own life. They fall in love, grow apart, then reunite and fall in love all over again.
Why (re)watch this film?
After a double bill showing at the Festival in 2025, Un homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman) returns to Festival de Cannes in the presence of its director, Claude Lelouch. And what better venue than the Cinéma de la Plage, knowing that the filmmaker came up with the idea for the film on the sands of Deauville? Un homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman) was awarded the Palme d’or in 1966, ex æquo withSignore & Signori (The Birds, the Bees and the Italians) by Pietro Germi, which will in turn be screened on the beach on May 21.
SUNDAY, MAY 17
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN by Alan J. Pakula
1976, 2 hrs. 18 mins, United States
Two Washington Post journalists, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), receive a lead about a State scandal. In the midst of the 1972 presidential campaign, a mysterious informant reveals to them that the Democrat Party’s seat has been wiretapped. Their investigation takes them to the highest levels of the country.
Why (re)watch this film?
All the President’s Men keeps us in suspense while shedding light on the Watergate political scandal. Led by a legendary pair of actors, this political-thriller classic is waiting to be rediscovered. Restored in 8K, technicians have worked meticulously to sharpen the image, with enhanced colors and contrast.
Screening in the presence of the Park Circus team.
MONDAY, MAY 18
1965, 2 hrs. 02 mins, France/Italy
In a Central American country called San Miguel at the beginning of the 20th century, Maria I and Maria II meet and form a theatrical duo before embarking on a revolutionary battle. A surprising take on the Revolution, blending comedy and western, starring Jeanne Moreau and Brigitte Bardot.
Why (re)watch this film?
Viva Maria ! holds a special place in Louis Malle’s filmography. After Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (Elevator to the Gallows), Zazie dans le métro (Zazie in the Metro) and Le Feu follet (The Fire Within), the filmmaker, then only 33 years old, surprised audiences with a unique work that sits somewhere between jubilant musical and western, filmed in Mexico against the backdrop of revolution.
Screening in the presence of Nicolas Seydoux, President of Gaumont. This screening is co-organized with the City of Cannes, whose mayor, David Lisnard, will unveil a plaque on Plage Macé in honor of Brigitte Bardot.
TUESDAY, MAY 19
1995, 1 hr. 49 mins, United Kingdom/Spain/Germany
In 1936, from the very first days of the Spanish Civil War, David, an unemployed young man, leaves Liverpool to join the fight against fascism. He joins an international unit of the Republican Militia on the Aragon Front and together with his comrades, he experiences the passions of war. On returning to Barcelona, he finds he is torn between loyalty to the Communist Party and his new found love, Blanca.
Why (re)watch this film?
Multi-award winner at Cannes, crowned with two Palmes d’or (The Wind That Shakes the Barley in 2006 and I, Daniel Blake 10 years later), Ken Loach will be at the beach to present the restored version of Land and Freedom. In Competition in 1995, this film bridges the filmmaker’s native England and Spain in the midst of Civil War, just as the author he draws inspiration from, George Orwell, did in Homage to Catalonia.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
1976, 1 hr. 45 mins, Spain
Nine-year-old Ana lives in a gloomy mansion in the center of Madrid. After losing both parents, she is left in the care of her strict aunt, Paulina, along with her two sisters. But Ana is no ordinary child. She lives in a universe where the line between reality, memory and fantasy is almost non-existent. Convinced that she has power over life and death, Ana constantly invokes the presence of her dead mother to cope with the loneliness and rigidity of the adult world.
Why (re)watch this film?
Cría cuervos continues to haunt and fascinate generations of film lovers and filmmakers since its Special Grand Prix from the Jury in 1976. An indelible hallmark of this film by the late Carlos Saura, the song Porque te vas will be performed live at the Cinéma de la Plage by Jeanette, who will perform this iconic song from the film’s soundtrack.
Screening in the presence of the director’s children, Antonio and Anne Saura.
THURSDAY, MAY 21
SIGNORE & SIGNORI (The Birds, the Bees and the Italians) by Pietro Germi
1966, 2 hrs., Italy
Tony Gasparini confides his personal difficulties to his friend and doctor, Professor Castellani. The Professor decides that the best remedy for his friend is to take him to a party. To do this, he sends him into his wife Noemi’s arms without hesitation. But then along comes Treviso’s biggest gossipmonger, Scarabello, who informs Castellani that in reality, Gasparini’s alleged infirmity is nothing more than a convenient alibi…
Why (re)watch this film?
Because it’s a comedy the likes of which only Italian cinema can produce. A display of posh hypocrisy, infidelity and barely concealed desires, in this film, the mask of the Italian bourgeoisie falls… along with everything else. Lies, trysts and sharp satire: when respectability slips, everything becomes deliciously scandalous. This film earned Pietro Germi a Palme d’or, ex æquo with Claude Lelouch for Un homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman).
FRIDAY, MAY 22
JE HAIS LES ACTEURS (I Hate Actors) by Gérard Krawczyk
1986, 1 hr. 30 mins, France
In 1940s Hollywood, a film shoot is torn apart by its tyrannical producer, its paranoid director, its star who has been engaged 24 times, its actor who refuses to age, and a strange series of murders. A whacky satire about Hollywood’s golden age in the presence of the director for the 40th anniversary of its release.
Why (re)watch this film?
For the pleasure of watching Jean Poiret, Michel Blanc, Bernard Blier and Michel Galabru on screen, actors who are very difficult to hate. The film’s director, Gérard Krawczyk (Fanfan la Tulipe, L’Été en pente douce (Summer on a gentle slope), Taxi 2, 3 and 4) will present the screening for the comedy, his first feature film.
SATURDAY, MAY 23
MON ONCLE (My Uncle) by Jacques Tati
1958, 1 hr. 56 mins, France
Unlike his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, who live in an ultra-modern house, Hulot lives on the top floor of an old house in the Paris suburbs. His family thinks it’s about time he finally found a real job, a partner, and a home. In this first color film, Tati shares his fondness for childhood, dogs, and working-class neighborhoods. With humor, he explores how we inhabit space and daily life, playing with the idea of social success in a world that is constantly changing, destroying, and rebuilding.
Why (re)watch this film?
The Cinéma de la Plage concludes its showing of discoveries and rediscoveries with the boundless poetry of Jacques Tati. At Festival de Cannes 1958, Mon Oncle (My Uncle) was one of the most eagerly anticipated films and marked the culmination of Tati’s work, after Jour de fête (The Big Day) and Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday). A pared-down style, a childlike gaiety and a humor that is uniquely Tati, this is one to be savored for the final screening under the stars.
Screening in the presence of Macha Makeïeff and Jérôme Deschamps, founders of Les Films de Mon Oncle, and Juliette Hochart, Executive Vice President Library, STUDIOCANAL.
