Environment in focus in new Cannes sidebar

Louis Garrel’s feature ‘The Crusade’, a drama about children who come together to protect the planet, will have its world premiere in the new section. Garrel also stars in the film, alongside Laetitia Casta and Joseph Engel, The Hollywood Reporter wrote.

One of the documentaries gracing the new section is ‘Above Water’ from Aïssa Maïga, which looks at the impact of global warming on Niger, one of the sub-Saharan African countries hardest hit by drought.

Rahul Jain’s ‘Invisible Demons,’ which looks at pollution in New Delhi — particularly the “invisible demons” the unseen fine particles in the air that have devastating consequences for the health of locals — ‘I Am So Sorry’ from China’s Zhao Liang, which looks at the dangers of nuclear energy, and ‘Animal’ from French director Cyril Dion, which focuses on the collapse of biodiversity worldwide, will also premiere in the new Cannes sidebar.

Other environmental docs that will hit the Croisette include ‘Bigger Than Us’ from Flore Vasseur – a look at young climate change activists – and Marie Amiguet’s ‘La Panthère des neiges’, in which wildlife photographer Vincent Munier and the adventure writer Sylvain Tesson head to the Tibetan Plateau to try and capture, on camera, one of the most elusive big cats left in the wild.

Alongside the new program, Cannes announced an environmental action plan to reduce waste and decrease the festival’s carbon footprint.

The 74th Cannes Film Festival runs July 6-17.