Cannes 2021: Mamoru Hosoda’s animated ‘Belle’ joins Cannes Premiere lineup

Belle, the animated film by the Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda will world premiere during the 74th Festival de Cannes in the Cannes Premiere section, it was announced today. 

Cannes Premiere, a new section this year, is designed to give returning Cannes favorites and auteurs a place to screen new work outside of the competition at the Debussy theater. Thierry Frémaux, artistic director and general delegate of the festival, describes this new segment of the program as “films that could have been a part of the official competition,” adding, “We didn’t want them to screen anywhere else.” Among those films also include Andrea Arnold’s Cow, Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Jane by Charlotte, Kornél Mundruczo’s Evolution and Hong Sang-soo’s In Front of Your Face.

Following his films Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), and Mirai (2018), it is the first official Selection for Mamoru Hosoda. Belle, is the third animation film presented this year at the Festival after Ari Folman’s Where is Anne Frank and The Summit of the Gods by Patrick Imbert.

Belle tells the story of Suzu, an insecure teenager living in a small town in the mountains with her father… in real life. Because in the virtual world of U, Suzu becomes Belle, a musical icon followed by more than 5 billion followers.

“Belle is the film that I’ve always dreamt to create, said Hosoda, and that I can make today thanks to the culmination of my previous films. In this one, I explore romance, action, and suspense as well as deeper themes such as life and death. I hope that it will be a big entertaining show.”

The 74th Cannes Film Festival runs July 6-17, 2021. Belle will be screened on Thursday, July 15.

Image: Studio Chizu