Cannes Festival 2021: No Indian film makes cut; Sean Penn, Asghar Farhadi, Wes Anderson compete for top prize

The Cannes Festival for 2021 announced its full line-up after a long delay due to COVID-19 restrictions across the world.

The 74th edition of the film festival will take place in July this year instead of the usual May schedule in view of these restrictions.

The 12-day event was cancelled last year owing to the rise of the pandemic across the world. The festival line-up is devoid of any Indian film this year.

At a press conference in the Normandie Theatre at the Champs-Elysees in Paris, festival general delegate Thierry Fremaux and president Pierre Lescure announced the complete line-up. They also revealed that invitees will be sorted into two zones, green and red, according to the nature of the pandemic in their home countries. Countries in the green zone will have easier access to the festivals, though every attendee is expected to undergo a COVID-19 test on arrival.

The festival will witness actress Jodie Foster receiving the honorary Palme d'Or for her contribution to cinema. The opening film at the festival will be Leos Carax's Annette, which will feature in the Competition alongside Francois Ozon's Everything Went Fine, Asghar Farhadi's A Hero, Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Memoria and Sean Penn's Flag Day.

The line-up has 24 films in the Competition section, while 12 are included in Un Certain Regard. Another new section of Cannes Premiere, with seven films, has been included in the edition.

The 74th edition of the festival will open on 6 July and conclude on 17 July.