The Belgian co-production ‘Alpha’ by French director Julia Ducournau is in the running for the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, festival director Thierry Frémaux announced on Thursday.
After leaving her mark on the Croisette in 2016 with ‘Grave’, a shocking film about cannibalism, and in 2021 with ‘Titane’, which won the Palme d’Or, Julia Ducournau returns with the story of ‘Alpha’.
‘Alpha’ follows an 11-year-old girl living in a fictional 1980s city inspired by New York. As the AIDS epidemic spreads globally, one of her parents falls ill, forcing her to confront loss and her own mortality for the first time.
The film was co-produced with Belgian company Frakas Productions and received support from the French Community.
In the competition for the Palme d’Or, ‘Alpha’ will compete against films such as ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ by Wes Anderson, ‘A Simple Accident’ by Jafar Panahi, and ‘Sentimental Value’ by Joachim Trier.
