You can’t make this up.
Ruben Östlund’s next film, “The Entertainment System Is Down,” won’t screen at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but a new documentary, “Ruben,” is hitting the Cannes market.
Directed by Sigge Eklund, the film aims to explore Östlund’s pursuit of a record-setting third Palme d’Or with “The Entertainment System Is Down,” which is currently in post-production and targeting a Cannes premiere next year. A very humble man he is.
Production on “Ruben” began in 2023, shortly after Östlund returned from the Oscars, where “Triangle of Sadness” received three nominations. Eklund continued filming through the Budapest shoot of “The Entertainment System Is Down” in early 2025, capturing behind-the-scenes moments as well as interviews with cast members including Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, and Daniel Brühl.
The documentary will conclude once Östlund’s latest feature premieres — probably at next year’s Cannes Film Festival. What are the actual odds he wins a third straight?
Eklund, a longtime friend of Östlund, said the documentary focuses heavily on the psychological burden that comes with artistic ambition and expectation. One scene reportedly shows the director sitting at his computer beneath his two Palme d’Or trophies, struggling to begin a new project while feeling the weight of his own legacy.
Östlund hasn’t been shy about stating that “the goal with the next film is to win another [Palme d’Or],” which would mark the first time in history that a director has accomplished that feat.
Östlund also said he wants “The Entertainment System Is Down” to provoke the most walkouts in Cannes history. “And I think it’s going to be more provocative than any violent, any disturbing content,” he added.