Thierry Frémaux, the general delegate of the Festival de Cannes—that’s how you say “festival director” in French—began working with Cannes in 2001, and has been one of the most influential figures in international cinema for the past 25 years. Under his direction, the festival has launched the careers of filmmakers such as Justine Triet, Yorgos Lanthimos, Joachim Trier, Xavier Dolan, Ruben Östlund, and Andrea Arnold, to name a few. This year’s lineup includes several returning auteurs, including films from Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi. But larger studio films are notably absent from this year’s lineup. There’s no Mission Impossible, and no films from Focus Features, a festival staple. Even A24 is sitting out this year’s festival. Regardless, Frémaux is excited for audiences to experience this year’s international lineup—and is ready for any and all critical reception to the films. Just two weeks before the 79th Cannes Film Festival, Frémaux sat down with Vanity Fair to discuss this year’s fête. He was opinionated, as usual, and for good reason. He remains a highly influential …