Bruno Dumont’s “The Empire” was ubiquitously absent from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. I heard it was offered the opening night slot at the Quinzaine, but refused the invite.
Now, “The Empire” has been given a March release date in France. So, no Venice? Maybe Berlin. It’s a strange development for a film that was on the radar of many cinephiles this year.
I would think the French films that will be in Venice competition could come from filmmakers Bertrand Bonello, Ladj Ly and Xavier LeGrand.
“The Empire” revolves around two opposing forces from the depths of outer space, who unleash an apocalyptic conflict on Northern France’s picturesque Opal Coast. It’s Dumont doing sci-fi.
Dumont’s had an eccentric and genre-hopping career ever since his 1997 debut “La Vie de Jésus”, other highlights in his filmography include “Humanité,” “Li'l Quinquin” and “France.”
Camille Cottin, Lyna Khoudri et Anamaria Vartolomei star in “The Empire.”
Actress Adèle Haenel had originally been offered a role, but she publicly stated dropping out of the film because the script was “full of jokes about cancel culture and sexual violence.”