CANNES, FRANCE - Barco, which specializes in laser powered cinema solutions, has announced a special Cannes screening program that will showcase critically-acclaimed titles in its new HDR by Barco format. The carefully-curated slate highlights festival winners from Belgium, Italy, Germany and the United States, and marks their global debut in Barco HDR Lightsteering. Barco’s HDR film series will be held May 16th through 22nd in theater 8 at the Cinéum Cannes theater.
Films planned for this year’s HDR program include: Perfect Days from Palm D’Or winning director Wim Wenders, Cannes 2022 Grand Jury prize winner The 8 Mountains, alongside the French market cinema debut of Tim Mielant’s thriller Wil. Barco, in collaboration with DTS, will also present special HDR by Barco screenings of A24/Metropolitan’s latest film Civil War, featuring the DTS:X immersive sound system.
“The new High Dynamic Range Lightsteering projector from Barco offers limitless possibilities for creativity in post,” explains Tom Mulder, colorist for Wil. “The dynamic range and gamut allow us to bring images to life like never before. We will look back on its release as a key moment in the digital-cinema experience.”
Each film selected for the showcase has been specially prepared for cinematic HDR presentation using Barco’s just-launched HDR by Barco ecosystem. Powered by the company’s patented Lightsteering technology, HDR by Barco projectors redistribute light within each frame, resulting in brighter highlights and deeper darks for rich, brilliant, high-contrast images.
“While remastering Wil to HDR cinema using Barco Lightsteering, we realized the extra range in both high and low lights offers the possibility to draw the audience deeper in the image and create an extra layer of visual impact,” notes Robrecht Heyvaert, cinematographer on Rebel, Sony Pictures’ Bad Boys For Life, and the upcoming Bad Boys: Ride or Die. “It can be used to augment realism or, if desired, spectacle.”
HDR by Barco leverages Lightsteering projection to deliver premium cinema HDR presentation through the strategic deployment of laser light onscreen. Developed as the answer to the studios’ new DCI HDR recommendations for the next-generation of bright cinema technology, Barco’s HDR product suite includes cinema projection, as well as post production tools and technology designed to enable a seamless content pipeline from studio to theater screens.
“Moviegoers and the cinema industry alike have been waiting for true High Dynamic Range solutions for cinema,” said Gerwin Damberg, EVP of Barco Cinema. “With HDR by Barco, we’ve developed a full ecosystem that delivers premium presentations for moviegoers, is accessible for cinemas, and integrates seamlessly into post production workflows. The HDR by Barco suite of technologies enables a new level of storytelling for filmmakers with a dramatically expanded palette of colors, shades and highlights. We’re excited to bring the first HDR screening series to Cannes this year and to showcase the stunning power of HDR Lightsteering to transform and further elevate the cinema experience.”