“Diamonds,” director Andy Garcia’s longtime passion project, earned a warm seven-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night, bringing classic Hollywood glamor to the Croisette with a large ensemble cast led by Vicki Krieps and Rosemary DeWitt who rushed to the premiere.
García grabbed the microphone and said, visibly moved, “The biggest reward for anyone as a manager is to have the same talent as Dustin, Bill, Yul Vázquez, LaTanya Richardson, Brendan Fraser, Demián Bichir, Rachel Ticotin. Having your colleagues come and celebrate your film is the biggest reward. People you admire, people you look up to, people you inspire, people you trust, and without their support and inspiration, this wouldn’t be what it is.”
Garcia concluded through tears, “This is such an honor. As some of you may know, this has been a 20-year journey. And to share this very personal journey with the film festival community, where Film Noir was first created. I can’t think of a more sacred place than being here. I can tell you that we all grow up with dreams, and I can share them with other young people who have dreams. For those who have dreams, there are no obstacles that can’t be overcome.” As my father always said, never take a step back, even to gain momentum. ”
Premiering out of competition, this contemporary L.A.-set noir marks Garcia’s return behind the camera in his third feature directorial effort, following the 1993 documentary Cachao… Como Su Ritmo No Hey Dos and 2005’s The Lost City.
In the film, Garcia plays Joe Diamond, a mysterious man haunted by a traumatic past who uses his incredible powers of observation to solve crimes that baffle the Los Angeles Police Department. With a sharp wit and instincts reminiscent of the classic Gumshoe Detective, Diamond navigates the world of modern noir infused with old Hollywood sensibilities. Garcia wrote and directed the film, and co-wrote the music with Arturo Sandoval.
The cast includes Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman, Brendan Fraser, Oscar-nominated actor Demián Bichir (A Better Life, The Hateful Eight), Danny Huston (Succession), Paul Soriano, LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Ptolemy Grey) The cast includes Yul Vasquez (The Last Days), Yul Vasquez (The Terminator), and Robert Patrick (The Terminator). 2) and Rachel Ticotin (The Act).
Nearly 15 years in the making, Diamond has been described as a love letter to Los Angeles and an homage to the great noir films of the past. The film was shot at iconic locations in Los Angeles, including the Bradbury Building and the Parramore Estate.
The premiere will be Garcia’s first appearance at Cannes since “Ocean’s Thirteen,” which bowed on the Croisette in 2007. Early in his career, Garcia also came to the Cannes Film Festival for “Things to Do in Denver When You Die,” which was screened in 1995 in “Un Certain Regard.”
