(Thanks to Israeli film critic Yonatan Doron for chipping in with extra information about this title. If any readers think they can help with further entries in this series, do get in touch.)
The director: Joseph Cedar (Israel)
The talent: Good news for fans of 2001’s wonderful arthouse hit “Late Marriage”: that film’s leading man, Lior Ashkenazi, headlines here. Other names will be less familiar to those outside Israel: Ashkenazi’s older co-lead, Shlomo Bar-Abba, is famed in his homeland as an eccentric TV comedian, but hasn’t appeared in a film in 22 years. Cedar himself, of course, carries his own level of cachet — more on that below.
The pitch: In the press conference unveiling this year’s Cannes slate, festival director Thierry Frémaux described “Footnote” as one of the Competition’s more light-hearted entries, though there’s conflicting word on whether or not we should expect an outright comedy.