2018 Cannes: Directors’ Fortnight brings ‘Birds of Passage,’ Debra Granik’s ‘Leave No Trace’
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
The 50th edition of the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight will open with Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra’s Birds of Passage. This is Guerra’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated foreign language film Embrace of the Serpent, which represented Colombia. Birds tells the story of an indigenous family who embarks on the drug trade in 1970s Colombia.
Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, which debuted at Sundance and recently played the San Francisco International Film Festival, is the sole U.S. entry in this year’s directors’ fortnight (last year had five American films). Another drugged-induced fever dream from Gaspar Noé will be seen, Climax. Nicolas Cage shows up in Mandy from Panos Cosmatos about a man hunting down a religious sect responsible for death of the love of his life, which sounds like the most Nicolas Cage-y setup possible.
Mirai, from director Mamoru Hosada will be the first Japanese animation film to world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Martin Scorsese will receive the honorary Carrosse d’Or (Golden Coach) award at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight.
The full lineup of feature films for Directors’ Fortnight:
Pajaros De Verano (Birds Of Passage), Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra
Amin, Philippe Faucon
Climax, Gaspar Noé
Carmen y Lola, Arantxa Echevarria
Comprame un Revolver, Julio Hernandez Cordon
Les Confins du Monde, Guillaume Nicloux
El Motoarrebatador, Agustin Toscano
En Liberté, Pierre Salvadori
Joueurs, Marie Monge
Leave No Trace, Debra Granik
Los Silencios, Beatriz Seigner
Ming Wang Xing Shi Ke De, Ming Zhang
Mandy, Panos Cosmatos
Mirai, Mamoru Hosoda
Le Monde Est à Toi, Romain Gavras
Petra, Jaime Rosales
Samouni Road, Stefano Savona
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2026 Cannes Film Festival Winners: Cristian Mingiu’s ‘Fjord’ Takes the Palme, Seventh Win in a Row for NEON - May 23, 2026
- Cannes 2026: Sandra Wollner’s ‘Everytime’ Wins Un Certain Regard Grand Prize - May 22, 2026
- ‘Coward’ Review: Belgian Soldiers Find Love in Lukas Dhont’s Hidden Romance Masterpiece [A] Cannes - May 21, 2026
Carrie Preston (‘Elsbeth’) on the Resurgence of Broadcast Television and What She Sees for Season 4 [VIDEO INTERVIEW] 
AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 345: Recapping the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Looking to the Awards Future 
‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Makes a Meal Out of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Movie-Making Buffet [B] 
‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Review: Valeska Grisebach’s Observant Thriller Examines the Grey Zones of Morality [B+]