Festivals - FCAD 2024: A Showcase of American Cinema's Finest in the Premiere Selections

By Mulder, 22 august 2024

The 50th edition of the Deauville American Film Festival has unveiled its Premieres section, a showcase of ten films that highlight the richness and diversity of contemporary American cinema. This year’s selection brings together a mix of established auteurs and fresh voices, each offering a unique narrative that promises to captivate audiences.

Aaron Schimberg's A Different Man is a psychological drama that explores themes of identity and obsession. The story follows Edward, a man undergoing facial reconstructive surgery who becomes unnervingly fixated on an actor portraying him in a theatrical production. With a cast led by Sebastian Stan and the backing of A24, the film is expected to make a significant impact.

Sean Baker's Anora offers a modern twist on the Cinderella tale, set against the vibrant yet gritty backdrop of New York City. The film chronicles the journey of a Brooklyn stripper who marries into Russian oligarch wealth, only to face unexpected challenges as her new in-laws intervene. Baker’s reputation for raw, character-driven stories ensures that Anora will be both a compelling and thought-provoking watch.

Tim Burton returns with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a sequel that revives the beloved prankster demon. The film sees the Deetz family return to their haunted home, where a rebellious teenage daughter inadvertently brings Beetlejuice back into their lives. With Michael Keaton reprising his role and a cast that includes Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe, this film is poised to deliver the quirky, gothic charm that Burton fans expect.

Chris Sanders brings to life The Wild Robot, an animated adaptation of Peter Brown’s novel about a robot stranded on a deserted island. The story follows Roz as she learns to navigate her new environment with the help of local wildlife, culminating in a touching narrative about survival and companionship. The film, featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal, promises to be a family-friendly highlight of the festival.

Ellen Kuras’s Lee is a biographical drama centered on Lee Miller, a former model who became one of the first female war photographers. Starring Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard, the film delves into Miller's courageous work during World War II, offering a powerful portrayal of a woman who defied societal norms to document the horrors of war. The film has already generated buzz following its premiere at TIFF.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is an ambitious epic set in a dystopian future where New Rome faces a battle between progress and tradition. With a star-studded cast including Adam Driver and Laurence Fishburne, the film explores the tension between utopian ideals and the corrupting forces of power. Coppola's visionary direction is expected to make this one of the standout films of the festival.

Silver Star, directed by Ruben Amar and Lola Bessis, is a gritty drama following a young African-American woman named Billie who, after a botched robbery, embarks on a desperate escape across the American landscape. The film’s intense narrative and raw performances are likely to resonate with audiences, marking it as a film to watch.

James Watkins’s Speak No Evil is a psychological thriller that transforms a seemingly idyllic weekend into a harrowing nightmare. The film, featuring James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis, follows an American family whose visit to a British couple’s home spirals into terror. Its tense atmosphere and unsettling storyline are sure to keep viewers on edge.

The Last Stop in Yuma County, directed by Francis Galluppi, is a taut thriller set in an Arizona diner where a group of strangers, including bank robbers and a sheriff’s wife, find themselves in a deadly standoff. With a narrative packed with suspense and surprise, this film promises to be a gripping experience from start to finish.

Rounding out the selection is The Thicket, a Western directed by Elliott Lester and based on Joe R. Lansdale’s novel. The film, starring Peter Dinklage, follows a young man’s quest to rescue his kidnapped sister in early 20th-century Texas. With its dark and gritty portrayal of frontier justice, The Thicket adds a rugged edge to this year’s lineup.

The Premieres section of the Deauville American Film Festival this year is a testament to the vibrancy and innovation of American cinema, offering a wide array of stories that explore human nature, societal challenges, and the fantastical. As these films debut, they are sure to leave a lasting impression on both audiences and critics, contributing to the ongoing evolution of the cinematic arts.

A Different Man

Written and directed by Aaron Schimberg
Produced by Christine Vachon, Vanessa McDonnell, Gabriel Mayers
Starring  Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Adam Pearson
Cinematography : Wyatt Garfield
Edited by Taylor Levy
Music by Umberto Smerilli
Production companies : A24, Killer Films, Grand Motel Films
Distributed by A24
Release dates : January 21, 2024 (Sundance), September 20, 2024 (United States)
Running time : 112 minutes
Synopsis : Edward is looking for a fresh start. After facial reconstructive surgery, he becomes fixated on a man who plays him in a theatrical production based on his former life.

Anora

Written and directed by Sean Baker
Produced by Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, Sean Baker
Starring  Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov
Cinematography : Drew Daniels
Edited by Sean Baker
Music by Matthew Hearon-Smith
Production companies : FilmNation Entertainment, Cre Film
Distributed by Neon (United States), Le Pacte (France)
Release dates : May 21, 2024 (Cannes), October 18, 2024 (United States), October 30, 2024 (France)
Running time : 139 minutes
Synopsis : Anora, a young Brooklyn stripper, is transformed into a modern-day Cinderella when she meets the son of a Russian oligarch. Without a second thought, she enthusiastically marries her Prince Charming, but when the news reaches Russia, the fairy tale is quickly threatened: the young man's parents leave for New York with the firm intention of having the marriage annulled...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 

Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Marc Toberoff, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tommy Harper, Tim Burton
Written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Seth Grahame-Smith
Based on Characters by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson
Starring  Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe
Cinematography : Haris Zambarloukos
Edited by Jay Prychidny
Music by Danny Elfman
Production companies : Plan B Entertainment, Tim Burton Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates    August 28, 2024 (Venice), September 6, 2024 (United States), September 11, 2024 (France)
Running time : 105 minutes
Synopsis : After a terrible tragedy, the Deetz family returns to Winter River. Still haunted by the memory of Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter Astrid accidentally opens a portal to the Beyond. With chaos hovering over both worlds, it's only a matter of time before someone utters Beetlejuice's name three times and the prankster demon returns to wreak havoc...

The Wild Robot

Written and directed by Chris Sanders
Produced by Jeff Hermann
Based on The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Starring  Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara
Edited by James Ryan
Music by Kris Bowers
Production company : DreamWorks Animation
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates : September 8, 2024 (TIFF), September 27, 2024 (United States), October 9 2024 (France)
Running time : 101 minutes
Synopsis : Le Robot Sauvage follows the incredible saga of a robot - the ROZZUM 7134 unit, aka Roz - who, after being shipwrecked on a desert island, must learn to adapt to a hostile environment by gradually forming relationships with the island's animals. She ends up adopting a goose's young, a gosling, who is orphaned.

Lee

Directed by Ellen Kuras
Produced by Kate Solomon, Kate Winslet, Troy Lum, Andrew Mason, Marie Savare, Lauren Hantz
Written by Liz Hannah, John Collee, Marion Hume
Story by Lem Dobbs, Marion Hume, John Collee
Based on The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose
Starring  Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Noémie Merlant, Josh O'Connor, Alexander Skarsgård
Cinematography : Paweł Edelman
Edited by Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Production companies : Sky Original, Brouhaha Entertainment, Juggle Films
Distributed by Sky Cinema (UK), StudioCanal (France)
Release dates : 9 September 2023 (TIFF), 13 September 2024 (United Kingdom), October 9, 2024 (France)
Running time : 116 minutes
Synopsis : The incredible life of Lee Miller, former Vogue model and Man Ray muse, who became one of the first female war photographers. Sent to the front and willing to do anything to bear witness to the horrors of the Second World War, her courage and refusal of convention changed the way the world was seen.

Megalopolis

Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Written by Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, Barry Hirsch, Fred Roos, Michael Bederman
Starring  Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunterk, Dustin Hoffman
Cinematography : Mihai Mălaimare Jr.
Edited by Cam McLauchlin, Glen Scantlebury
Music by Osvaldo Golijov
Production company : American Zoetrope
Distributed by Lionsgate Films (United States), Le Pacte (France)
Release dates : May 16, 2024 (Cannes), September 25, 2024 (United States), September 27, 2024 (United States)
Running time : 138 minutes
Synopsis : Megalopolis is a Roman epic set in an imaginary modern America in the throes of decadence. The city of New Rome is in dire need of change, creating a major conflict between Caesar Catiline, a genius artist with the power to stop time, and arch-conservative mayor Franklyn Cicero. The former dreams of an ideal utopian future, while the latter remains committed to a regressive status quo that protects greed, privilege and private militias. The mayor's jet-setting daughter Julia Cicero, in love with Caesar Catilina, is torn between the two men, and will have to discover what seems best for the future of humanity.

Silver star
Written and directed by Ruben Amar, Lola Bessis
Produced by Ruben Amar, Lola Bessis, Philippe Imhaus, Simon Lefort 
Starring Grace Van Dien, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Tamara Fruits, Johnathan Davis, Getchie Argetsinger, Ekaterina Baker, Joey Giambattista, Josh Silberman, Amy Tribbey , Noa Fisher, Odley Jean
Cinematography : Cole Graham
Edited by Rafael Torres Calderon
Production company : Les Films de la Fusée
Release dates : NC
Running time : 102 minutes
Synopsis : Billie, a taciturn 20-year-old African-American tomboy, has just been released from prison. When she learns that her parents' lives are about to be turned upside down, she decides to rob a bank to help them. But when the robbery goes wrong, she has no choice but to take hostage Franny, an 18-year-old teenager on the fringes of society, up to her neck in pregnancy and with a strong character. And so begins a long, electric chase across America's wide open spaces, in pursuit of a better future.

Speak no evil

Written and directed by James Watkins
Based on Speak No Evil by Christian Tafdrup, Mads Tafdrup
Produced by Jason Blum, Paul Ritchie
Starring  James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, Scoot McNairy
Edited by Jon Harris
Music by Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans
Production company : Blumhouse Productions
Distributed by Universal Pictures (France, United States)
Release date : September 13, 2024 (United States), September 19, 2024 (France)
Running time : 110 minutes
Synopsis : An American family spends the weekend at the dream property of a charming British family they met on vacation. But their idyllic stay quickly turns into a nightmare.

The Last Stop in Yuma County

Written and directed by Francis Galluppi
Produced by Matt O'Neill, Atif Malik, Francis Galluppi
Starring  Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Sierra McCormick, Nicholas Logan, Michael Abbott Jr., Connor Paolo, Alex Essoe, Robin Bartlett, Jon Proudstar, Sam Huntington Ryan Masson, Barbara Crampton, Gene Jones, Faizon Lovek, Richard Brake
Cinematography : Mac Fisken
Edited by Francis Galluppi
Music by Matthew Compton
Production companies : Local Boogeyman, XYZ Films, Carte Blanche, Random Lane
Distributed by Well Go USA Entertainment (United States), The Jokers Films (France)
Release dates : September 23, 2023 (Fantastic Fest), May 10, 2024 (United States)
Running time : 90 minutes
Synopsis : The clientele of an Arizona diner wait patiently for the gas station to refuel. There's an old Texan couple, a knife salesman, the sheriff's wife and a couple of bank robbers, just so the atmosphere is charged with electricity.

The thicket

Directed by Elliott Lester
Written by Chris Kelley
Based on The Thicket by Joe R. Lansdale
Produced by Peter Dinklage, David Ginsberg, Chad Oakes, Michael Frislev, Caddy Vanasirikul, Brian O'Shea, Elliott Lester, Shannon Gaulding, Andre L III
Starring  Peter Dinklage, Juliette Lewis, Esmé Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Macon Blair, Andrew Schulz, James Hetfield, Arliss Howard, Leslie Grace, Gbenga Akinnagbe
Cinematography : Guillermo Garza
Edited by Jean-Christophe Bouzy
Music by Ray Suen
Production companies : Tubi Films, Nomadic Pictures, Estuary Films, Next Production
Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release date : September 6, 2024 (United States), 
Synopsis : In early 20th-century Texas, young Jack sets out to rescue his sister after she's been kidnapped by a violent killer, Cut Throat Bill. Jack enlists the services of a fearsome bounty hunter named Shorty, the son of a former slave and an alcoholic to the last degree, and a prostitute. Together, they track her down to a place called The Big Thicket.

(Source : press release)