2012 Cannes Film Festival Predictions: Bahman Ghobadi’s Rhinos Season

Gist: Could this be this year’s hot topic Iranian political rebellion? With Kiarostami doing his own thing over in Japan, last year’s one-two punch of This is Not a Film and Good Bye may find their successor in the form of this new film by Bahman Ghobadi. Always a tad overt in his political agenda (not that there’s anything wrong with that…), his new one is described simply as “a love story in the context of the political changes from before the Iranian revolution to the present.” Last but not least, Monica Bellucci will topline, which should broaden the international audience considerably, especially for the male population.

Prediction: With a slot in the Competition already essentially sealed for Like Someone in Love, this ‘other’ Iranian heavyweight will probably be pushed over to the UCR. Should it make it into the Competition though, a Morretti-led jury may warm nicely to this one’s political content.