What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 2nd June 2022.

The 75th Cannes Film Festival ran from 17th through until 28th May, with this year, the festival returning to a full in person event following the last two editions offering a hybrid event as a result of the grip that COVID-19 had on France. The South Korean film 'Next Sohee' was chosen as the Closing Night Film and is Written and Directed by Jung Ju-ri. The winners and grinners of the main awards this year, as announced on Saturday evening 28th May, are as follows :-

In Official Competition :

* Palme d'Or - awarded to 'Triangle of Sadness' and is Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Ruben Ostlund and stars Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean and Woody Harrelson.

* Grand Prix - jointly awarded to 'Close' Directed and Co-Written by Lukas Dhont, and 'Stars at Noon' is Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Claire Denis and stars Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Danny Ramirez, Benny Safdie, and John C. Reilly.

* Best Director Award - presented to Park Chan-wook for 'Decision to Leave' who also co-wrote and Produced this South Korean mystery thriller.

* Best Actress Award - presented to Zar Amir Ebrahimi for 'Holy Spider' and is a Persian language crime thriller Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Ali Abbasi.

* Best Actor Award - presented to Song Kang-ho for 'Broker' and is a South Korean drama film Directed, Written and Edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda. 

* Best Screenplay Award - presented to Writer and Director Tarik Saleh for 'Boy from Heaven' for this Arabic language drama thriller film.

* The Jury Prize - was jointly awarded to 'EO' Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Jerzy Skolimowski, and 'The Eight Mountains' and is Written and Directed by the pairing of Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch.

Un Certain Regard

* Un Certain Regard Award - presented to the French drama 'The Worst Ones' Directed and Written by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret.

* Un Certain Regard Jury Prize - presented to the Pakistani Urdu language drama film 'Joyland' Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Saim Sadiq. 

* Un Certain Regard Best Director - presented to Alexandru Belc for this Romanian drama film 'Metronom'. 

* Un Certain Regard Best Performance Prize - jointly presented to Vicky Krieps for 'Corsage' Written and Directed by Marie Kreutzer, and Adam Bessa for 'Harka' Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Lofty Nathan. 

* Un Certain Regard Best Screenplay Prize - awarded to Maha Haj for 'Mediterranean Fever'.

Honorary Palme d'Or

* Awarded to Forest Whitaker and Tom Cruise. 

Camera d'Or

* Camera d'Or Award presented to the US and UK co-production drama film 'War Horse' Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Riley Keough and Gina Gammell in their first feature film making outing.  

For the full run down on all the other award winners, plus a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/

This week with four new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we have four very different films from Bhutan, Britain, Greece and France kicking off with a Bhutanese drama film about an aspiring singer living with his grandmother in the capital of Bhutan dreams of getting a visa to move to Australia, but first he must complete his training as a teacher in the most isolated school in the world. Then we have a British romantic drama about a maid living in post-World War I England who secretly plans to meet with the man she loves before he leaves to marry another woman. Next up we turn to a Greek film about the trials and tribulations of Saint Nektarios of Aegina, as he bears the unjust hatred of his enemies while preaching the Word of God, before closing out the week with a French animated film that sees the cruel regent Tristan cursing Roland, the heir to the throne, and to save Roland and the kingdom, a young vagabond in medieval France embarks on a quest for the antidote, along with Graubart, a clumsy guard with a good heart, Jiggler, a young loony jester, and her three tamed weasels.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'LUNANA : A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM' (Rated PG) - is a Bhutanese drama comedy film Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Pawo Choyning Dorji in his feature film Directorial debut. The film saw its World Premier screening at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2019 and it went on to win the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film and the Best of the Fest at the 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival. It was also one of the five nominees competing at the 94th Academy Awards in March this year in the Best International Feature Film category, making it the country's first Oscar-nominated film. All up the film has garnered eighteen award wins and another ten nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. It has garnered widespread critical acclaim.

A young teacher in modern Bhutan, Ugyen Dorji (Sherab Dorji), shirks his duties while planning to go to Australia to become a singer. As a reprimand, his superiors send him to the most remote school in the world, in a village called Lunana, high up in the Himalayan mountains to complete his service. There he finds no electricity, no textbooks, not even a blackboard. He wants to quit and go home, but he begins to learn of the hardship in the lives of the beautiful children he teaches, and begins to be transformed through the amazing spiritual strength of the villagers.

'MOTHERING SUNDAY' (Rated MA15+) - this British romantic drama film is Directed by Eva Husson in her third feature film making offering following 'Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)' in 2015 and 'Girls of the Sun' in 2018, and is based on the novel of the same name by Graham Swift. The story is set on Mother's Day in 1924. Mr. Godfrey Niven (Colin Firth) and his wife Clarrie (Olivia Colman) give their housekeeper, Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young), the day off, as the couple are set to go to their neighbour's house to celebrate his engagement. The truth is Jane and the neighbour, Paul Sheringham (Josh O'Connor), have been having an affair for many years. The film also marks the first appearance of Oscar winner Glenda Jackson (as an older Jane Fairchild) on a theatrical release in over thirty years, having last appeared in 1990's 'King of the Wind'. It has its World Premier screening at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, has grossed US$1.2M at the Box Office since its release in the UK in mid-November last year and the US at the end of March and has garnered generally favourable Reviews. 

'MAN OF GOD' (Rated PG) - is an English language Greek biographical drama film Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Yelena Popovic in only her second film making outing following 'L.A. Superheroes' in 2013. This film saw its World Premiere in late April 2021 at the Moscow International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, before being released in cinema's at the end of August 2021. Exiled unjustly, convicted without a trial, slandered without cause. The life of St. Nektarios of Aegina (Aris Servetalis) was one of persecution and prosecution. A priest of the common people, his popularity provoked the jealousy of the clergy in Alexandria and as a result, he was defrocked and expelled from Egypt. In contrast to his religious 'superiors', Nektarios cared for the poor, taught peasant girls to read and write, and performed miracles. Even his last moment on Earth was used to help another. Upon his death, Nektarios' undergarment was removed, and as it fell upon a paralysed man (Mickey Rourke) in the hospital bed next to him, the lame man arose to walk. The film has generated largely positive press so far. 

'PIL'S ADVENTURES' (Rated PG) - this French animated family film is Written and Directed by Julien Fournet in his third Directorial effort following 'Enfoire de president' in 2009 and 'The Jungle Bunch 2 : The Great Treasure Quest' in 2014. Here then Pil (voiced by Kaycie Chase), a little orphan girl, lives in the medieval town of Roc-en-Brume, with three weasels she has tamed. She survives by stealing food from the castle of the regent Tristan (Pierre Tessier), who has plans to usurp the throne. While Tristan tries to poison the rightful heir, Roland (Gauthier Battoue), the latter is accidentally transformed into a 'chapoul', a creature that is half cat, half chicken. For his part, in order to escape the guards, Pil puts on a princess costume. She finds herself against her will caught up in an adventure in search of Roland. 

With four new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-