The question of what art can come out of a crisis, especially one on such a global scale like we have been living through, is a consistently challenging and engaging one. Could there be a time that it is “too soon” in proximity to the events or, if you wait too long, could your art risk losing its urgent relevance?
The trailer for The Year of the Everlasting Storm, a collaborative film that is set to premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, puts those questions front and center. The film is set to show during the Special Screenings section, where it will make its world premiere.
Billed as a “love letter to the power of cinema and its storytellers,” the project sees multiple filmmakers all telling their own stories that are held together with a common time while being unique in their respective visions. Jafar Panâhi, Anthony Chen, Malik Vitthal, Laura Poitras, Dominga Sotomayor, David Lowery, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul all direct their own separate story that becomes part of a chronicling of our current moment.
The Year of the Everlasting Storm is NEON’s latest production foray, with the company's upcoming slate of films also including Pablo Larrain’s Spencer, Jamila Wignot’s Ailey, Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman, and Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee, which is executive produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
The Year of the Everlasting Storm joins two other NEON titles that will premiere at Cannes this year, Weerasethakul’s Memoria starring Tilda Swinton and Julia Ducournau’s Titane. Both films will play in Competition.
The Year of the Everlasting Storm is set to be released by NEON sometime in 2021. You can watch the full trailer for yourself below to get a glimpse of the combination of artistry and collaboration on display.