'The Man I Love' Cannes premiere

Ira Sachs’s “The Man I Love” had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20 at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, according to Cannes’ official festival page and photo coverage published by Deadline. The red carpet brought together Sachs and several people tied to the film, including Rami Malek, Tom Sturridge, Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, while additional guests photographed at the screening included Cannes jury member Demi Moore. The film arrived as part of Cannes’ main Competition lineup, placing Sachs back in contention at the festival seven years after “Frankie,” the festival said in a separate item on its site. Variety reported last month that “The Man I Love” was the only American feature then slated for the 2026 Competition. ### Which people were actually on the carpet on May 20? Deadline’s May 20 gallery identified red-carpet appearances tied to the premiere, including Demi Moore, Rami Malek, Rebecca Hall, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Tom Sturridge. (festival-cannes.com) A Yahoo entertainment gallery carrying the same photo package also listed Ira Sachs, co-writer Mauricio Zacharias and actor Luther Ford among those photographed at the Palais des Festivals screening. (festival-cannes.com) The Cannes screening took place on Wednesday, May 20, at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, according to the gallery captions. Moore was photographed as a jury member attending the screening rather than as a member of the film’s cast, the captions showed. ### What is “The Man I Love” about? Cannes’ official page says the film is set in late-1980s New York and follows Jimmy George, a downtown performance artist living in “an extraordinary moment between great illness and death.” The festival page lists Malek as Jimmy, with Sturridge, Ford, Hall and Moss-Bachrach also in the cast. (yahoo.com) IMDb’s listing and early festival coverage describe the project as directed by Sachs and co-written with Mauricio Zacharias, a longtime collaborator. (yahoo.com) Deadline reported that Sachs had lived in New York during the period depicted in the film. ### How did Cannes position the film before the premiere? Festival de Cannes placed “The Man I Love” in the 2026 Official Selection Competition and scheduled it for May 20, according to the festival page. (festival-cannes.com) The site lists the screening time as 13:30 and includes production, sales and distribution details, including MK2 Films for international sales and Memento Distribution for distribution. (imdb.com) Variety reported in April that MK2 Films had boarded the project ahead of Cannes and described it as one of the anticipated titles in this year’s lineup. The same report said the film stood out as the sole American feature expected in competition. ### Was there an audience reaction after the screening? Deadline reported on May 20 that “The Man I Love” received a 10-minute ovation after its Cannes premiere. (festival-cannes.com) The Hollywood Reporter separately said the 1980s-set drama was greeted with a standing ovation at its competition premiere on Wednesday night. Those reactions followed the film’s first public screening at Cannes and came alongside the first wave of festival reviews. (variety.com) Deadline and The Wrap both published reviews on May 20 after the premiere. ### Where can readers verify the premiere details? Cannes’ official festival page carries the film’s Competition listing, synopsis, cast credits and May 20 screening details. (deadline.com) Deadline’s photo gallery and related entertainment pickups provide the clearest public record of who was photographed on the carpet that night. The next public marker for the film at Cannes will be the festival’s awards close, where Competition titles including “The Man I Love” remain in contention for the Palme d’Or before the festival ends on May 23. (deadline.com) (festival-cannes.com 1) (festival-cannes.com 2)