Très Passé Cannes 2018 lineup: The descent of a once great film festival

Better get those bunion pads out, ladies, because the 71st Cannes Film Festival is upon us. After adding more draconian layers to its already outdated rules, in recent weeks the festival decided to ban press screenings, rule out red carpet selfies, and banish Netflix from competition. That’s on top of previously turning away women who dared to wear flats on the red carpet (told you you’d need those bunion pads). During this morning’s press conference, the film festival embodiment of Hollywood’s old boys’ club announced its 2018 movie lineup, which will open with the world premiere of Asghar Farhadi’s Everybody Knows – the director’s first Spanish-language drama starring Penélope Cruz (Vanilla Sky) & Javier Bardem (mother!). With regards to the Competition lineup, Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard, Jafar Panahi, and many more will be competing for Cannes’s “prestigious” Palme d'Or Award – we’re sure you’re on the edge of your seat in anticipation to find out who’s the lucky winner. But perhaps we shouldn’t be discussing who’s up for competition and instead look at who isn’t. While 2018 marks a "landmark" year with regards to Cannes diversifying its slate, the number of female directors is abysmally low, with just three women (Nadine Labaki, Eva Husson, and Alice Rohrwacher) in the seventeen-strong list. No doubt giving itself a hefty pat on the back for featuring the highest number of movies from female filmmakers since Cannes 2011 [slow clap], compared to other major festivals like SXSW – which saw eight female-led films out of ten within the Narrative Feature competition – Cannes's diversity representation is about as progressive as its rules on streaming services. Speaking of which, there’s a very large Netflix-shaped hole, not only in the Competition segment, but in the entire 2018 lineup. Following a grapple that started with Cannes director Thierry Frémaux banning any films without French theatrical distribution from playing in competition at the festival, yesterday Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos announced the company's decision to pull out of the festival altogether, taking with it a plethora of relevant, solid, and quality titles that could’ve added some much-needed buzz to the lineup. By telling Netflix “you can’t sit with us”, Cannes has really showed its age in its attempt to desperately protect an outdated version of Hollywood. While there are numerous worthy, talented filmmakers in the 2018 lineup, the industry is changing and perhaps Cannes would’ve benefitted from accepting films released both in the theater and on VOD. With regards to the missing list, how about badboy auteur Lars Von Trier? While many assumed the jury was out after he was banned from the festival seven years ago for making some rather unsavory comments during the press conference for his 2011 film Melancholia, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the controversial director will be returning to Cannes 2018 and he will be bringing his serial killer drama The House That Jack Built to premiere in the Out of Competition category. Guess that's one we can check off the missing list. When it comes to masterpieces like, say, Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story? Cannes's arms are wide open. So let's get this straight – the first-rate offerings from Netflix? Nope! But Star Wars? A-okay! Right, gotcha Cannes – the festival’s really ahead of the curve when it comes to representing the world's best independent film programming. All in all, looks like Cannes 2018 is shaping up to be exactly how we expected: elitist, outdated, and predictable. For those who are interested (or would simply like to see what's missing from the cut), you can find the full lineup below:

Opening Night Film

Everybody Knows – Asghar Farhadi

Competition

Le Livre D’Image – Jean-Luc Godard Blackkklansman – Spike Lee Three Faces – Jafar Panahi Cold War – Pawel Pawlikowski Leto – Kirill Serebrennikov Lazzaro Felice – Alice Rohrwacher Under the Silver Lake – David Robert Mitchell Capernaum – Nadine Labaki At War – Stéphane Brizé Asako I&II – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Sorry Angel – Christophe Honoré Dogman – Matteo Garrone Girls of the Sun – Eva Husson Yomeddine – A.B. Shawky Burning – Lee-Chang Dong Shoplifters – Kore-Eda Hirokazu Ash Is Purest White – Jia Zhang-Ke

Special Screenings

Dead Souls – Wang Bing 10 Years In Thailand – Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, Chulayarnon Sriphol & Apichatpong Weerasethakul Pope Francis – A Man Of His Word, dir: Wim Wenders La Traversée – Romain Goupil To The Four Winds – Michel Toesca Le Grand Cirque Mystique – Carlos Diegues The State Against Mandela And The Others – Nicolas Champeaux & Gilles Porte

Midnight Screenings

Arctic – Joe Penna The Spy Gone North – Yoon Jong-Bing Whitney – Kevin Macdonald Fahrenheit 451 – Ramin Bahrani

Out of Competition

The House That Jack Built – Lars Von Trier Le Grand Bain – Gilles Lellouche Solo: A Star Wars Story – Ron Howard Long Day’s Journey Into Night – Bi Gan Little Tickles – Andréa Bescond & Eric Métayer

Un Certain Regard

Sofia – Meyem Benm’Barek Border – Ali Abbasi Sextape – Antoine Desrosières The Gentle Indifference Of The World – Adilkhan Yerzhanov El Angel – Luis Ortega In My Room – Ulrich Kohler The Harvesters – Etienne Kallos My Favorite Fabric – Gaya Jiji Friend – Wanuri Kahiu Euphoria – Valeria Golino Angel Face – Vanessa Filho Girl – Lukas Dhont Manto – Nandita Das

Palme d'Or and Major Awards

Shoplifters directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu won the Palme d'Or. Pawel Pawlikowski won Best Director for Cold War. Cate Blanchett presided over the jury and handed out the top honors after weeks of debate inside the Palais.

Festival Rule Evolution Since 2018

Theatrical distribution requirement for Competition films enforced continuously since 2018. Selfie ban and formal dress codes remain active with periodic reinforcements. Netflix has not returned to the festival in any capacity, turning the 2018 standoff into a permanent policy line rather than a temporary standoff.

Long-Term Diversity Trends at Cannes

2018 Competition had three female directors out of 17 films. 2025 edition featured record 45% women-directed films across selections. Ongoing initiatives like Women in Motion continue to address representation even as the old guard still controls the main competition slots.

Reception of Key 2018 Films

The House That Jack Built prompted over 100 walkouts during its Out of Competition screening. Mixed reviews described the film as provocative but divisive, with some critics praising its formal control while others found the violence gratuitous.

Impact of the Netflix Withdrawal

Netflix withdrew all titles following the 2018 rule change. The policy has remained in effect without exception through 2026, leaving a permanent gap between the festival and the biggest global streamer and shifting much of the market energy to other events.

The 2018 edition locked in several structural choices that still shape how Cannes operates today. The red carpet remains a tightly controlled space, the theatrical requirement keeps streaming titles at arm’s length, and the programming still draws the same mix of praise and criticism that defined that year. Audiences and industry players now treat the festival as one major stop among many rather than the sole arbiter of cinematic prestige. The lineup itself still reads like a snapshot of a moment when the old guard tried to hold the line, and the consequences of those decisions keep unfolding every May on the Croisette.