By Jake Howell jake.howell@utoronto.ca
Countdown to Cannes: Alexander Payne
ALEXANDER PAYNE
Background: American; born Omaha, Nebraska, 1961.
Alexander Payne © Ray Pride
Known for / styles: Election (1999), About Schmidt (2002), Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011); shooting and setting narratives in Omaha; adultery narratives and satirical, dark humor; films that revolve around a lonely protagonist.
Notable accolades: The majority of Payne’s awards are for his adapted screenplays. At the top of the list, Payne is the recipient of two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay (The Descendants, based on the Kaui Hart Hemmings novel of the same name; Sideways, adapted from the Rex Pickett novel of the same name), with a BAFTA equivalent in 2004 for good measure (Sideways). In lieu of a Best Picture Oscar, The Descendants was AFI’s Movie of the Year in 2011.
Previous Cannes appearances: Payne has played in Competition only once (2002’s About Schmidt), but the Festival has enjoyed his company in other ways: in 2005, he was the President of the Un Certain Regard jury, while in 2006, Payne participated in anthology film Paris, je t’aime (Un Certain Regard). Last year, Payne sat on Nanni Moretti’s Competition jury.
Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Nebraska, a black-and-white dramedy starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte on a father-son road trip. When Woody (Dern) thinks he’s won a lucrative Publisher’s Clearing House prize, he travels to Nebraska with his son David (Forte) to claim the prize. Bob Odenkirk shows up for a supporting role.
Could it win the Palme? Payne was in the running for a Best Picture Oscar at the 84th Academy Awards with The Descendants, but lost to The Artist, which coincidentally premiered at Cannes. But that’s okay, as Payne can rest assured in knowing the jury has likely seen the majority of his filmography, as it is both beloved and well-known. (And hey, with Reese Witherspoon’s recent arrest making news, I can’t be the only one with plans to re-watch Election). All things considered, Payne has very strong odds: Nebraska sees him returning to his home state to shoot, and it seems unwise to bet against a world-class director working where he feels most comfortable, given how culturally significant Election and About Schmidt have become (both films were set in Omaha).
Why you should care: With Nebraska, Alexander Payne is both staying safe and branching out: shooting in his home state should mean the story is steeped in personal authority, but the director’s decision to film in black-and-white is a new look for Payne. If his second shot at a Palme d’Or doesn’t pan out, though, expect him (and Nebraska) to be a heavily-tipped awards contender come December, like every one of his films since Election.
