Christopher Nolan, Ryan Coogler among 2018 Cannes Film Festival ‘Rendez-vous with’ sessions
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
Four masterclasses with directors Christopher Nolan and Ryan Coogler and actors John Travolta and newly minted Oscar-winner Gary Oldman will share their work and passion about cinema during this year’s Rendez-vous with… for the festival goers of the Cannes Film Festival. The sessions will take place in Buñuel Theatre, which replaces the Leçon de cinéma.
The program this year will be a focus on English and American cinema. One glaring visual is that all four conversations will be with men, with women once again taking a backseat to the larger discussion of film at Cannes.
Nolan will also be at the festival to present the 50th anniversary showing of Stanley Kubrick’s iconic work 2001: A Space Odyssey in Cannes Classics and Ryan Coogler will show his worldwide blockbuster Black Panther, the highest grossing superhero movie of all time, in the Cinéma de la Plage section.
Here is the lineup with dates and times.
Thursday, May 10th, 4:00PM
RYAN COOGLER
American director & writer
The Rendez-vous with Ryan Coogler will take place on Thursday, May 10th, at 4.00PM, Buñuel Theatre. It will be conducted by American critic and journalist Elvis Mitchell.
Saturday, May 12th, at 4.00PM
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
British director, writer & producer
The Rendez-vous with Christopher Nolan will take place on Saturday, May 12th, at 4.00PM, Buñuel Theatre. It will be conducted by French critic and historian Philippe Rouyer and translated by Massoumeh Lahidji.
Wednesday, May 16th, 4:45PM
JOHN TRAVOLTA
American actor & producer
The Rendez-vous with John Travolta will take place on Wednesday, May 16th, at 4:45PM, Buñuel Theatre. It will be conducted by French critic and journalist Didier Allouch.
Friday, May 18th, 4:00PM
GARY OLDMAN
British actor & director
The Rendez-vous with Gary Oldman will take place Wednesday, May 18th, at 4:00PM, Buñuel Theatre. It will be conducted by Douglas Urbanski, American producer and artistic partner for thirty years.
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.
- Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More - March 20, 2026
- Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ - March 20, 2026
- Six Join 51st Residence of the Festival de Cannes, including Harry Lighton, Mansi Maheshwari, Oliver McGoldrick - March 20, 2026
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 144 – ‘A Matter of Life and Death (Powell and Pressburger, 1946) with Special Guest Jesse Nussman 
Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More 
Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ 
‘Anima’ Review: Sydney Chandler and Takehiro Hira Ground Brian Tetsuro Ivie’s Low-Fi Sci-Fi Road Movie [B+] SXSW