Rami Malek debuts in The Man I Love

Rami Malek arrived at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20 for the world premiere of “The Man I Love,” his first acting appearance in the festival’s main event, as Ira Sachs returned to competition with an AIDS-era New York drama. Reuters reported that Malek walked the red carpet in Cannes, France, on Wednesday for the film, which centers on life with HIV/AIDS in 1980s New York City. (msn.com) The Festival de Cannes lists “The Man I Love” among the 2026 Competition titles, putting it in the running for the Palme d’Or. (deadline.com) ### What film brought Malek to Cannes for the first time? “The Man I Love” is directed by Ira Sachs and is set in late-1980s New York, according to festival materials and industry coverage. (festival-cannes.com) Deadline reported that Malek plays Jimmy George, a singer and performer rehearsing work with an experimental theater company as the AIDS crisis closes in around him. Variety described the film’s official synopsis as the story of a man facing death whose urge “to live and create, to desire and to love one last time” remains intact. April 9 brought an earlier signal of the project’s Cannes profile when Variety reported that mk2 had boarded international sales on the film. That report described the movie as music-filled and set in the “vibrant era of late ’80s New York,” with Malek playing an actor confronting death. (msn.com) ### Who else is in the cast and at the premiere? Getty-backed photo coverage from the Cannes premiere showed Ira Sachs on the carpet with Rami Malek, Tom Sturridge and Luther Ford at the Palais des Festivals on May 20. Yahoo’s photo gallery from the event also listed Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach among the film’s stars, and noted attendees including Demi Moore, Halsey and Chloé Zhao at the gala screening. (deadline.com) Festival and trade coverage has consistently identified Tom Sturridge, Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as part of the principal cast alongside Malek. The official competition slot gave the film one of the higher-profile launch pads of this year’s Cannes lineup. (variety.com) ### How did the first Cannes screening unfold? Wednesday’s screening at the Grand Théâtre Lumière drew an extended ovation after the premiere, according to multiple entertainment outlets covering the room. The Hollywood Reporter said the 1980s-set drama received a standing ovation at its competition premiere, while other reports put the applause at between eight and 10 minutes. Those accounts also said Malek appeared emotional during the response. (yahoo.com) Reviews published after the screening focused on Malek’s central performance and the film’s portrait of an artistic community under pressure from illness. Those assessments came from critics and trade publications, not from the festival itself. (festival-cannes.com) ### Where does this sit in Sachs’ Cannes history? Ira Sachs is back in Cannes competition for the first time since “Frankie” in 2019, Variety reported. Deadline also noted that the director had been at Cannes with “Frankie,” making “The Man I Love” his latest return to the festival’s top section. The Festival de Cannes said its 2026 edition runs until May 23. “The Man I Love” remains in the main competition through the close of the festival, where the jury will decide this year’s Palme d’Or winner from the official lineup that includes Sachs’ film. (hollywoodreporter.com) (festival-cannes.com) (variety.com) (deadline.com)