Back in 2010, the Cannes Film Festival picked Juliette Binoche to grace its official festival poster — only for the choice to stir some cynical grumblings when the French star went on to win Best Actress from Tim Burton's jury. The strength of her performance in “Certified Copy” was enough for most to file the occurrence as a happy coincidence rather than anything more calculated — still, the festival has played it safe ever since, opting for vintage movie-star images that couldn't conceivably cause any disagreement.
Marilyn Monroe, Faye Dunaway and an entwined Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward have all done the honors, and this year's mascot follows in that tradition: the late Marcello Mastroianni will peer over his shades at the Croisette crowds, and very chic he looks too. The image, of course, is taken from Federico Fellini's 1963 landmark “8½,” a suitably cinema-centric choice — even if it might have been better for last year's fest, marking the 50th anniversary of its Cannes premiere. (Mastroianni, who passed away in 1996, won Best Actor twice at the festival, first in 1970 for “Jealousy, Italian Style” and again in 1987 for “Dark Eyes” — the film that also earned him the last of his three Oscar nods.)
Anyway, a handsome effort all round. Roll on May 14.