TF1 names final two Cannes competition films: Valeska Grisebach’s 'L'Aventure rêvée' and Léa Mysius’s 'Histoire'

TF1 Info reported on May 22 that the Cannes Competition reached its final two premieres with Valeska Grisebach’s “L’Aventure rêvée” and Léa Mysius’s “Histoires de la nuit.” The festival’s official selection page lists both films among the 22 titles in Competition at the 79th Festival de Cannes. The closing ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, when the jury chaired by Park Chan-wook will announce the winners list. ### Which two films closed out the Competition lineup? TF1 Info named Valeska Grisebach’s film as “L’Aventure rêvée,” while the Festival de Cannes selection page lists the title as “Das geträumte Abenteuer (The Dreamed Adventure).” The official Cannes page identifies it as a Competition feature directed by Grisebach. Léa Mysius’s film was identified by TF1 Info as “Histoires de la nuit,” and the official festival site lists it in Competition under that title, with the English subtitle “The Birthday Party.” Cannes published a separate feature on May 22 describing it as an adaptation of Laurent Mauvignier’s 2020 novel. (festival-cannes.com) ### Why are these films being singled out now? (festival-cannes.com) May 22 was the last full day of Competition screenings before the prizes, according to TF1 Info’s live Cannes coverage and the festival’s closing-ceremony notice. The festival said the winners would be chosen from 22 Competition films, making the final premieres the last entries to screen before deliberations concluded. (festival-cannes.com) Saturday’s ceremony caps a festival that the official Cannes site says ran from May 12 to May 23. The final pair mattered because they arrived at the end of the screening schedule, just before the jury moved to its public verdict. ### What do the official Cannes materials say about Léa Mysius’s film? The Festival de Cannes said “Histoires de la nuit” follows Nora, Thomas and their daughter Ida, who live on an isolated farm with their only neighbor, Cristina, an Italian painter. (festival-cannes.com) The synopsis says three men circle the house during a surprise birthday gathering, bringing buried secrets to the surface. (festival-cannes.com) Cannes also said Mysius reunited with actors Bastien Bouillon and Hafsia Herzi for the film, and the cast listed on the festival page includes Monica Bellucci. The official page gives the running time as 114 minutes and the country of production as France. ### What is known about Valeska Grisebach’s entry? The Cannes selection page lists Grisebach’s Competition title under its German name, “Das geträumte Abenteuer,” with the English rendering “The Dreamed Adventure.” A festival program page says the story is set in Svilengrad, a small town on the Bulgarian border, where an archaeologist named Veska reconnects with a childhood friend after his car is stolen and is drawn into a criminal world. (festival-cannes.com) Valeska Grisebach is not new to Cannes. Her filmmaker page on the festival site says her 2017 feature “Western” premiered in the Un Certain Regard section, and it notes she served on a Cannes jury in 2018. ### Who decides the prizes, and when? The Festival de Cannes said on May 22 that South Korean director, screenwriter and producer Park Chan-wook is chairing the jury for the 79th edition. (festival-cannes.com) The same festival statement said actor Eye Haïdara, who hosted the opening ceremony on May 12, will host the closing ceremony on May 23. (festival-cannes.com) The festival said the jury will announce the winners list from among the 22 Competition films during that May 23 ceremony. That is the next formal step for both Grisebach’s and Mysius’s films. (festival-cannes.com)