There is perhaps no other film festival in the world whose annual poster is so anticipated, dissected and collected as the Cannes Film Festival. After paying homage last year to Marcello Mastroianni in Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2, this edition has chosen to honor Ingrid Bergman at the centenary of her birth. The Cassablanca star and three-time Oscar-winner was jury president in Cannes in 1973. She worked with such directors as Alfred Hitchcock, Roberto Rossellini and Ingmar Bergman and starred opposite iconic actors including Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Gregory Peck. A documentary by Stig Björkman, Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words, will feature in the Cannes Classics section in May, the fest said today.
“Hollywood star Ingrid Bergman was a modern icon, an emancipated woman, an intrepid actress, and a figurehead for the new realism. She changed roles and adoptive countries as the mood took her, but never lost sight of her quintessential grace and simplicity,” fest organizers said at the unveiling.
Bergman’s daughter, and frequent Cannes attendee, Isabella Rossellini said she and her family are “deeply moved” that the festival is featuring “our magnificent mother on the official poster… Her outstanding career covered so many countries, from the smallest European independent films to the greatest Hollywood productions. Mum adored working as an actress: for her acting was not a profession but vocation. As she put it, ‘I didn’t choose acting, acting chose me.’ ”
The festival will be associated with the Ingrid Bergman Tribute that Rossellini is organizing in September to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of her mother’s birth. The show, directed by Guido Torlonia and Ludovica Damiani, will be based on the star’s autobiography and correspondence with Roberto Rossellini. It will be performed in the five key cities in Bergman’s life: Stockholm, Rome, Paris, London and New York, and will feature Jeremy Irons, Fanny Ardant, Christian De Sica and several other actors.
In recent years, images of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, Faye Dunaway and Monica Vitti have graced Cannes’ affiche officielle. The image of Bergman is based on a photograph by David Seymour, co-founder of the Magnum Agency. Hervé Chigioni, who created last year’s poster, is also behind this year’s, with graphic designer Gilles Frappier. Chignioni has also produced an animated film based on the visual, featuring a remix of the festival’s theme music, “The Carnival of the Animals.”
Cannes runs from May 13-24 with Joel and Ethan Coen as jury presidents. The fest unveils the official selection on April 16.
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