Director Emanuel Parvu's new film competes as Cannes Film Festival kicks off today

This year’s Cannes Film Festival kicks off on Tuesday, promising off-screen events that may be as dramatic as the storylines in the film premieres being showcased, due to the potential sexual abuse topics, as all the international press is reporting.

For this year official competition, Romanian actor Emanuel Pârvu is making his directorial debut at Cannes after starring in Cristian Mungiu’s award-winning film, “Graduation / Bacalaureat” (2016). Pârvu’s third directorial work, “Three Kilometers to the End of the World / Trei kilometri până la capătul lumii,” (in photo) has been selected for the Competition of the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

The film follows Adi, a 17-year-old spending the summer in his home village in the Danube Delta. One night, he is brutally attacked on the street, and the next day, his world is turned upside-down. His parents no longer look at him the same way, and the apparent tranquillity of the village begins to crack.

The main cast includes Ciprian Chiujdea, Bogdan Dumitrache, Laura Vasiliu, Ingrid Micu-Berescu, Valeriu Andriuță, and Adrian Titieni.

More Romanian presence at Cannes Film Festival

NASTY, the documentary about the life and career of Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase, has been included in the selection of the 77th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, one of the most important film events in the world. Directed by Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, and Tudor D. Popescu, the film will be screened in the ‘Special Screenings’ section of the Official Program.

NASTY tells the story of Năstase’s career and the influence he had on tennis. Personalities such as Rafael Nadal, Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Stan Smith, or Phil Knight (Nike founder) speak about the Romanian in the documentary.

The Romanian born actor Sebastian Stan will also be present at Cannes, while he is the leading actor for “The Apprentice”, acting as as a young Donald Trump, directed by filmmaker Ali Abbasi from a script by Gabe Sherman. “The Apprentice” is debuting at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in competition alongside features like Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope,” and David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds.”

“Human Violins: Prelude (Multi-Users Version)” by Ioana Mischie will also have its world premiere at the Cannes Festival in the new Immersive Competition, introduced this year.

Inspired by a true story, the extended VR experience invites reflection on preserving human legacies across generations. Set during the Holocaust, it follows Alma, a violin lover, allowing players to connect and activate a holistic orchestra in tribute to the violins of the past.

The competition features eight projects, including VR and mixed reality experiences, as well as cartographic and holographic projection works. These cutting-edge projects push storytelling boundaries and celebrate both new and established artists. Six additional projects are featured outside the competition.

The Cannes Festival announced this new competition to highlight international artists redefining storytelling through innovative, immersive experiences. The selected works will be showcased from May 15 to 24 at Cannes Cineum and the Georges Melies Campus. An international jury will award the best immersive work during a special closing ceremony.

About Cannes Film Festival

One of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, Cannes brings hundreds of international stars to the red carpet to present their latest films. Among this year’s guests are filmmaker George Lucas, who will be honored for his entire career, Canadian director Xavier Dolan, who will be the president of the Un Certain Regard jury, director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig, the president of the competition jury, and actor Kevin Costner.