Directly from Cannes, the festival spotlight lands on Baz Luhrmann, the director behind the legendary Moulin Rouge (2001). His biography of Elvis Presley, a long-awaited biopic, has become a marquee moment for cinema lovers, marking a Hollywood-scale bet in US and Canadian theaters and driving anticipation for the summer season led by a strong lineup featuring Austin Butler in the title role.
A fresh premiere window has opened in early summer, alongside a slate of sun-soaked titles: a chilling entry from the horror frontier with The Black Phone, a family-focused drama, and a nature documentary featuring Carmen Machi portraying Sister Marina. The film depicts a nun who inspires a Real Madrid football player, Valdo, during his early years at an Alicante orphanage, symbolically gifting him wings through sport and resilience.
Elvis: two decades of ascent and influence of the King of Rock
Nearly a decade after a landmark collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby and more than twenty years after Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrmann returns with a biopic centered on Elvis Presley. The narrative centers on the artist through the lens of his complicated relationship with Colonel Tom Parker, the enigmatic manager whose influence catalyzed unprecedented stardom amid a cultural revolution and a shifting social landscape in the United States.
The film follows the decades-long collaboration that shaped Elvis’s rise, addressing themes of fame, reinvention, and the evolving music industry that accompanied America’s changing values and collective identity.
The release date is set for late August, with availability information highlighting a streaming option later in the year, expanding access for audiences nationwide.
Ethan Hawke is unsettlingly restrained in Black Phone, with concealed features
The project presents a tense collaboration among Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, and Joe Hill, adapting a chilling story from the imagination of a celebrated horror writer known for his explorations of fear and the uncanny. Hawke delivers a menacing performance masked from view, contributing to a suspenseful narrative set in the 1970s Colorado where a vanished boy taps into a voicemail from previous victims who attempt to alter his fate.
The premise hinges on a haunted telephone that somehow bridges past and present, guiding Finney Shaw, a quiet thirteen-year-old, through a perilous maze of threats and echoes from the past. The film grips viewers with a claustrophobic atmosphere and a relentless pace that emphasizes psychological dread over graphic spectacle.
A love story infused with faith and football, Full of Grace
Roberto Bueso, known for La banda, returns with a bright and buoyant comedy inspired by a real-life figure, Real Madrid player Valdo. As a child at an Alicante orphanage, Sister Marina, a compassionate nun, chooses to bridge exclusion with opportunity by introducing the children to football and technique. The story follows the 1990s era when Marina is assigned to El Parral school and fights to keep the local diocese alive through play and perseverance.
The cast includes Carmen Machi, Paula Usero, Paul Chiapella, Manolo Solo, Nuria González, and Dairon Tallon. The film revisits a period marked by community resilience and the belief that sport can pave pathways out of hardship.
Isabelle Huppert seeks a ministerial role in Paris’s Promises
Isabelle Huppert brings depth to Clemence as she transitions from a city mayoral role to national politics. The story follows a decision-making arc aimed at defending the rights of the underprivileged and sustaining a plan to revive a city facing poverty and unemployment with the support of Yazid, her trusted advisor.
Thomas Kruithoff, who also wrote The Promises of Paris, surveys the moral complexities of leadership, asking how credibility and honesty shape decisions when confronting the realities of power.
A Love in Scotland: a romance blurred by truth and memory
Belgian writer-director Bouli Lanners leads the film in a tender yet intricate romance where truth and deception intersect. Fifty-year-old Phil, living in a northern Scottish Presbyterian community, experiences a sudden stroke and memory loss. Upon leaving hospital, Millie, a caregiver from the community, convinces him of a secret romance that they never truly shared, and their bond deepens through a shared lie.
Family and a little more in the comedy An Unexpected Mess
A French comedy under Melissa Drigeard, acclaimed for Jamais le Premier Soir, centers on a couple navigating a delicate tangle of family truths and casual deception. Elsa Zylberstein, Stéphane De Groodt, and Man Martand lead a story about Audrey and Jérôme and their three children. A weekend trip to a country house unfolds into a gentle, humorous upheaval that tests friendships and couple dynamics alike.
Snow Leopard: nature’s splendor and a quiet, honest gaze
Vincent Munier, renowned for capturing wildlife with precision, documents the peril facing the snow leopard high in the Tibetan mountains. This documentary invites viewers to reconsider humanity’s bond with the natural world and the urgency of safeguarding fragile ecosystems. As Munier and writer Sylvain Tesson traverse the peaks, the film reveals a shared discipline: to observe with patience, interpret signs, and listen with reverence for the calls of the wild.
Identity and coming-of-age in Camila Goes Out Tonight
Argentina’s Ines Maria Barrionuevo directs Camila Goes Out Tonight, a candid portrayal of adolescence set against a resilient, intimate backdrop. The story follows Camila as her family relocates to care for a grandmother in her final days, forcing her to navigate a new private school and a challenging social landscape. The film captures the raw energy and restless questions that accompany growth, independence, and belonging.
Tehran Law: drugs and the price of crime
Iranian cinema’s second feature from Saeed Roustayi examines a world where drug possession carries the death penalty. The plot tracks a determined detective and a tenacious antagonist as they pursue the largest drug lord in a society grappling with addiction, crime, and a contested sense of justice. The film blends police action with social commentary, offering a stark portrait of a nation at a critical crossroads.
True Things: Ruth Wilson’s intimate, sharp performance
British actress Ruth Wilson anchors True Things, a drama drawn from a modern story about personal pressure and the pursuit of autonomy. The film follows a woman navigating societal expectations, relationships, and self-definition in a world that often demands conformity. Wilson’s portrayal anchors a narrative about identity, resilience, and the courage to redefine one’s life when the world around them feels unyielding.
The film positions Wilson in a project that reflects a personal, grounded examination of family dynamics and the costs of living up to external ideals, a theme that resonates across contemporary cinema and real-life striving for belonging and purpose.