Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who is known for creating modern day cult classics such as the Gangs of Wasseypur, Ugly, Gulaal, and No Smoking, is once again set to visit the French Riviera as his next film Kennedy starring Sunny Leone has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival. The festival's Twitter handle made the announcement in the afternoon of Thursday, April 13. The film will be a part of the midnight screening section. Anurag has been a regular at Cannes.
KENNEDY by Anurag KASHYAP
— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) April 13, 2023
#SéanceDeMinuit / #MidnightScreenings #Cannes2023
While his magnum opus Gangs of Wasseypur was screened at the 2012 Cannes Directors' Fortnight, an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival, the anthology film Bombay Talkies, on which he served as one of the directors, premiered under Special Screenings at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Ugly released a year after Gangs of Wasseypur and was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it also received a standing ovation. His Raman Raghav 2.0 also premiered in the Director's Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
The film festival, which is set to be held from May 16, will showcase films by Wes Anderson, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wim Wenders, Ken Loach, Todd Haynes and Steve McQueen. Maiwenn's Jeanne du Barry will open the festival on May 16. The Cannes Film Festival is considered to be one of the most prestigious film festivals across the world and is part of the Big 3 European film festivals besides Venice Film Festival and the Berlinale.