Cannes Film Festival 2023: The biggest films from Indiana Jones 5 to Asteroid City

Cannes Film Festival is back for its 76th edition in 2023, and once again it is the place to be for all the best films that are most likely to generate early awards buzz over the coming year.

Taking place from May 16 to 27, the French film festival will see the top creatives of the industry present their films to an audience for the first time, with several vying for the coveted Palme d’Or award.

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From the biggest blockbusters to more serious arthouse films, there is something for everyone at the festival and there will certainly be a number of movies that cinephiles will need to keep an eye on.

Here are the most interesting films to debut at Cannes.

Asteroid City

Wes Anderson’s latest film will have its world premiere at Cannes ahead of its release in June, and the drama is screening in competition at the event.

The filmmaker’s latest is another star-studded production with actors like Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzmann, Scarlett Johansson and many, many appearing in the sci-fi caper.

Read more: Everything we know about Asteroid City

It follows a group of teachers, students and their parents attending a Junior Stargazing Convention in the titular Asteroid City, and promises to showcase Anderson’s quirky, whimsical style once more.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese returns to the Cannes Film Festival with his hotly anticipated film Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars his regular collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, as well as Jesse Plemons and Lily Gladstone.

Read more: Everything we know about Killers of the Flower Moon

The drama is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann, and it depicts the real-life events surrounding a series of murders that took place in Osage Nation, Oklahoma, in the 1920s, as well as the FBI investigation into the deaths.

Kaibutsu (Monster)

Hirokazu Kore-eda is no stranger to Cannes, his 2018 film Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or that year while his most recent drama Broker also premiered at the festival last year.

It seems the Japanese director has kept very busy as he is already ready to present his next film: Monster. Not to be confused with the manga of the same name, Kore-eda’s drama follows single mother Saori (Sakura Ando) who is forced to come to terms with a dark truth about her son.

Monster was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but even if it doesn’t win the prize it is most likely to be a film to watch out for.

The Old Oak

Ken Loach’s film The Old Oak will also have its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and it is also being screened in competition, his 15th film to do so and his 18th to be shown at the event overall.

The award-winning director, 90, recently shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the drama may well be his final film because of his age. He told the publication: “Films take a couple of years and I’ll be nearly 90. And your facilities do decline. Your short-term memory goes and my eyesight is pretty rubbish now, so it’s quite tricky.”

The Old Oak is centered on a pub in northeast England which is at risk of closing down in a former mining town. Much like his previous work it’s a film not to be missed, but this is especially true if it really will be the swansong of the acclaimed filmmaker.

Strange Way of Life

Pedro Almodóvar’s short film Strange Way of Life, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, is being shown at Cannes as part of the festival’s special screenings section.

The queer Western sees Pascal and Hawke portray Silva and Sheriff Jake who reconnect after 25 years apart and reflect on their relationship.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

In contrast, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which is arguably the biggest blockbuster of the year, will also be shown at the festival out of competition.

James Mangold’s take on the franchise will see Harrison Ford take up Indy’s iconic fedora and whip for another adventure that will put him against Mads Mikkelsen’s menacing Jürgen Voller.

Read more: Everything we know about Indy 5

Ford has stated that Dial of Destiny will be his final outing as Indiana Jones, and he told Total Film in April that it would “end [his story] not with a whimper, but a bang.”

Hwa Ran (Hopeless)

Korean cinema has certainly cemented its position in the West with the success of productions like Parasite, which won the Palme d’Or in 2019, and Netflix’s Squid Game around the globe.

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Cannes will screen a few films of note from South Korea, but the most exciting is Hwa Ran, known as Hopeless in English.

The noir marks director Kim Chang-hoon’s first drama to be selected for the festival, and it has been shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard award.

Starring K-drama heartthrob Song Joong-ki, Hopeless will see the actor's mobster character Chi-geon help teen Yeon-gyu (Hong Sa-bin) by introducing him to the world of organised crime.

Watch the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny