Bono documentary to play Cannes

Bono is heading to Cannes.

A documentary about the U2 frontman will play at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

The documentary Bono: Songs Of Surrender, will premiere at the world’s most prestigious film festival ahead of its release on Apple TV in late May.

The documentary is directed by Aussie filmmaker Andrew Dominik, known for films such as The Assassination Of Jesse James, the controversial Marilyn Monroe drama Blonde and his previous documentary work with Nick Cave. 

Building upon his 2022 book Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, the documentary is a cinematic depiction of his one-man stage show Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief.

Apple has become a go-to documentary hub in recent years for entertainers; the 2023 Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie became one of the best-reviewed documentaries of recent times and 2020’s critically acclaimed Beastie Boys Story.

Bono’s documentary will be screened as part of the Special Screenings section of the festival.

Cannes has become the first stop of awards season, with recent Palme D’Or winners such as Parasite, Anora, Anatomy Of A Fall and Triangle Of Sadness beginning their run to the Oscars at the festival.

Dublin representation isn’t just limited to Bono; Element Pictures will have two films playing at the competition.

The Dublin production company, behind major hits such as Poor Things and Normal People, will have two films competing in the Un Certain Regard category.

Nigeria-set film My Father’s Shadow, about two young brothers spending a day with their estranged father in 1990s Nigeria and  LGBTQ+ drama Pillion, based on the bestselling 2020 novel Box Hill, will fly the flag for Element Pictures at Cannes this year.

Element Pictures has form at Cannes, with This Must Be The Place, The Lobster, and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer beginning life on the festival circuit at the French festival.

In main competition, films from American auteurs Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Ari Aster and Kelly Reichardt will compete for the Palme D’Or while foreign language fans will be keeping an eye out for films from Norwegian director Joachim Trier and French horror hellraiser Julia Ducournau.

Away from the awards season fare, Tom Cruise will be on hand to plug the latest (and what they’re calling the final) Mission Impossible movie, while Robert De Niro will receive the Honorary Palme D’or for his contributions to cinema.