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For eight days and nights, this little city on the French Riviera will triple in population, filling up with film personalities and, naturally, the films themselves. Lots of films. More than a thousand film screenings will take place in the various sections of the festival. At filmotech.com, we offer you some tips on what you can see out of Cannes in the coming days.
The astronomical figures and vast scale of the largest film festival in the world can bewilder and confuse anyone attempting to navigate the stormy sea of screenings, films, parties, parallel sections, presentations, conferences and business transactions all taking place in this little town on the French Côte d’Azur. To lend you a hand, filmotech.com has prepared this little guide with five handy hints to stop you losing your way in Cannes.
This term, invented by the French, to which a French "patriot" from Napoleon’s time gave his name, this prizing all things national above all things foreign, which our northern neighbours do so well, could not possibly fail to prevail at a festival like this; for this purpose, it is theirs and thus it was invented: of the 18 films competing in the official section, five are French and two more can be found in the parallel section "A Certain Regard" (amongst which there is one by a real heavyweight from French cinematography: Jean Luc Godard).
Otherwise, the rest of the official competition section continues in the same vein as previous years, with a clear preference for oriental films, which the French organisers seem to have a taste for; so, the South Korean filmsThe HousemaidandPoetrywill be presented, and the Japanese filmOutrage, marking Kitano’s return to the Yakuza genre, which has given him so much glory; and also there is the Thai filmUncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives.
Many well known stars will be parading their charms down one of the most photographed red carpets on the planet. However, this year, the absence of American movies in the official section (with the single exception ofFair Game, starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts) means that the presence of famous faces will depend, almost exclusively, on the films screened out of competition. For example, there isRobin Hood, the long-awaited umpteenth film adaptation of the popular British legend which brought together the Russell Crowe/ Ridley Scott duo again in an attempt to repeat the success had by their first film together,Gladiator. Robin’s traditional heroine, Maid Marion, will this time be played by Cate Blanchett.
As he did withVicky Cristina Barcelona, New York’s favourite son Woody Allen has chosen Cannes to presentYou Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, a comedy which will give Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin and Freida Pinto the chance to walk down the red carpet.
The festival’s closing screening will be taken care of by another Hollywood heavyweight, director Oliver Stone, who has resuscitated, just at the right time, the most famous Hollywood speculator: Gordon Gekko gets out of jail inWall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Michael Douglas will be playing the Wall Street shark once again, accompanied by Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon, Charlie Sheen, Carey Mulligan and Frank Langhella.
All the above and any other passer-by who happens to cast anchor in the neighbourhood (the Rolling Stones will be presenting their documentaryStone in Exile) will provide film-lovers and autograph-hunters from all over the world with plenty to do during these twelve days.
As well as heavyweights like Tavernier, Kiarostami and Mikhalkov, who must be tired of defending their films at Cannes, almost all the directors who are presenting a film in competition this year have previously undergone this nerve-racking experience or taken part in one of the parallel sections. Some even already have an award. Not to mention the legendary Manoel de Oliveira, who at 102 years of age is presentingThe Strange Case of Angelicain "A Certain Regard", or Jean Luc Godard, that emblematic figure of the New Wave who, now in his eighties, is bringing usSocialism, while putting the finishing touches to his latest project which he intends to present at this very same festival next year.
This year, Spanish representation at the French competition in the official section (in which films by Almodóvar, Amenábar and Coixet participated last year) has been limited to the Spanish cast members ofBiutiful, by Mexican director González Iñárritu, led by Javier Bardem, and also featuring Eduard Fernández, Blanca Portillo and Rubén Ochandiano. Apart from that, actress Pilar López de Ayala stars in the latest project (so far) from centenarian Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira,The Strange Case of Angelica, which will be screened in the "A Certain Regard" section.
The Directors’ Fortnight, a series the festival has devoted to neophytes since 1969, will be presenting the filmTodos vós sodes Capitáns, by young Galician director Oliver Laxe, a low-budget picture shot in Morocco, which will be competing with 21 other films.
The only other Spaniard to be playing a part in Cannes will be Víctor Erice, as a member of the official jury panel, presided over by Tim Burton.
The best films in the competition will be judged by a group of film professionals led by American director Tim Burton (who competed in 1994 with the brilliant biopicEd Wood). Accompanying him in the difficult task of deciding on a fair result which pleases everyone, will be directors Víctor Erice (The Spirit of the Beehive) and Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth); actors Benicio del Toro, Kate Beckinsale and Giovanna Mezzogiorno; French scriptwriter Emmanuel Carrère; French composer Alexandre Desplat, creator of the soundtracks of films likeSyriana,The QueenorThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Italian film critic Alberto Barbera, former director of the Venice Film Festival and currently director of the National Cinema Museum of Turin.
Since it was initially conceived in 1938, the world’s most famous film festival has been the scene of many famous battles, parties, poses, eccentricities, film careers launched, and film careers ruined. Luxury hotels, dream villas, and unimaginable yachts – all in a perpetual bonfire of the vanities which gathers strength with each flash of the camera on the red carpet.
As strange as it may seem, it was a big let down for the French that was behind the origin of world’s most famous film festival. In 1938, with fascism clearly on the rise, Venice was the only international film festival. That year, Renoir’sThe Grand Illusionappeared to be the clear winner and favourite by far at Venice. When the Venice festival gave its highest award (then called the “Mussolini Cup”) toOlympiaa propaganda film made by Goebbles glorifying the Nazi success with organizing the 1936 Olympic Games, everyone was left dumbfounded. When film lovers finally came out of this shock, an indignant French delegation pulled out of Venice and the American and British members of the jury resigned in disgust.
That same year, a group of French filmmakers and critics met with the idea of establishing a film festival in France. The first edition was set to open on September 1, 1939. It flourished for all of one day because, the next day, the Second World War began and the event was cancelled until further notice. The first edition of the Cannes International Film Festival finally got underway on September 20, 1946 andBrief Encounterby David Lean was awarded the first "Grand Prize".
While no one today could imagine the festival anywhere else, in 1938 the small city of Cannes didn’t seem to have much going for it to host an International film festival. It was a summer holiday resort town with pleasant weather and little else. However, although many cities were initially considered by festival organizers, it all came down to Biarritz on the Atlantic coast and Cannes on the Mediterranean. Cannes city government officials broke the tie with a behind-the-scenes pledge to build a venue especially for the festival.
In 1954, Parisian goldsmith Suzanne Lazon proposed that the festival adopt a palm leaf, symbol of the City of Cannes, as a distinctive trademark for its trophies. Legendary film director Jean Cocteau, a friend of Lazon’s, loved the idea and designed the "Palme D’or" ["Golden Palm"], one of the most coveted of all awards for prestigious filmmakers around the world.
That same year, the beach at Cannes was the setting for a photo seen the world over. It came about at a photo shoot on the beach with actor Robert Mitchum. During the shoot, a second-rate actress named Simone Sylva, posed with the actor, and looking for publicity, she suddenly undid her bikini top, causing jaws, including Mitchum’s, to drop with it. A huge ruckus ensued, and in the mad rush to get the best photo, two photographers got various bones broken. Miss Sylva was asked to leave the city and Robert Mitchum had to face a puritanical boycott on returning to his country. Shortly thereafter, another starlet, Françoise Deldick, entered the luxurious lobby of the Hotel Carlton on horseback as a half-nude Lady Godiva.
As far as poses are concerned (and long before Spanish actress Anita Obregón decided to delight us with hers on the island of Ibiza), the Queen of Cannes was, without a doubt, the at-the-time sexy French diva Brigitte Bardot, and her poses became a classic part of the festival.
In an unprecedented marketing ploy for the time (we’re now used to all sorts of publicity stunts), gorgeous actress Claudia Cardinale, visiting Cannes to promote the filmIl gattopardo["The Leopard"], delighted passers-by, swimmers, sunbathers, and photographers while posing on the waves rolling onto the beach with a leopard tied to a chain.
When it comes to parties, there is nothing which hasn’t been seen in this pleasant French Riviera city. On yachts and in mansions and luxury hotels, partying fills the air at nightfall all over Cannes, a city which never sleeps during the festival and a place where restaurant dining tables become improvised dance floors far more often than their proprietors would like. The little dances acquire a fame of their own, exemplified by actress Jeanne Moureau, gracefully avoiding the bread plates, and, more recently, actor Nicolas Cage, who wiggled his hipsa laElvis during a gala dinner at the luxurious Hotel Carlton.
As surprising as it may seem, the child Pablito Calvo was the first Spaniard to receive an award from the Cannes Film Festival: it was as a Special Mention for his performance in the filmThe Miracle of Marcelino[Marcelino, Pan y Vino].Welcome, Mr. Marshall[Bienvenido, Mister Marshall] also got Special Mention and the award for best script in 1953. In 1961, Luis Buñuel became the only Spanish director to-date to receive the covetedPalme d’OrAward. He won it forViridiana. In 1976, actor José Luis Gómez got the Best Actor prize for his role inLa familia de Pascual Duarteand Carlos Saura (who shares the record with Fellini for films selected), won a Special Award of the Jury forRaise Ravens[Cría cuervos], an award he had already received in 1974 forCousin Angélica[La prima Angélica]. In 1977, Fernando Rey got the Award for Best Performance forElisa, My Love[Elisa, mi vida], seven years after Alfredo Landa and Paco Rabal won it forLos santos inocentes. In 1999, Pedro Almodovar erupted on the scene at Cannes for the first time withAll About My Mother[Todo sobre mi madre], for which he received the award for Best Director. In 2006 he won another prize withVolver, but this time it was the Best Screenplay Award that he would take back to Madrid. His actresses were jointly awarded for their performances. Last year, three Spanish Films were presented with the same luck (that is to say, none) at Cannes. In competition were Catalonian producer Isabel Coixet withMap of the Sounds of Tokyoand from Castile La Mancha, Almodovar again, withBroken Embraces[Los abrazos rotos]. And, out of competition appeared Alejandro Amenábar’s super-productionAgora.
Director:Mathieu Amalric.
Cast:Mathieu Amalric , Julie Ferrier, Anne Benoit, Damien Odoul.
Country:France.
InTournée, French actor and filmmaker Mathieu Amalric tells the story of a former theatre producer who decides to return to show business, taking a burlesque striptease show on tour around France.
Mathieu Amalric, an actor with over 50 films and 3 Caesar Awards under his belt, is presenting his fourth film as a director at Cannes this year.
Director:Xavier Beauvois.
Cast:Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Philippe Laudenbach, Olivier Rabourdin, Jacques Herlin, Sabrina Ouazani, Loïc Pichon, Xavier Maly.
Country:France.
Of Gods and Menfocuses on the events surrounding what was known as the "Tibhirine massacre", an episode from French history which ended with the tragic murder of some Trappist monks kidnapped in Algeria during the civil war in 1996.
This is the fifth film to be directed by Xabier Beauvois, also an actor and scriptwriter, and represents his return to the official competition after receiving the Jury Prize in 1995 withDon’t Forget You’re Going to Die.
Director:Rachid Bouchareb.
Cast:Bernard Blancan, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila.
Country:France.
Outlawsreveals the destinies of three Algerian brothers with very different ideas, from 1945 to 1962, during Algeria’s struggle for independence from France.
This marks the return to Cannes of Franco-Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb, four years after presentingDays of Glory, a film about a battalion of Muslim Algerians enlisted in the French army during the Second World War, which won a double Best Performance prize and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
Director:Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Cast:Javier Bardem, Eduard Fernández, Blanca Portillo, Ruben Ochandiano, Ana Wagener, Maricel Álvarez.
Country:Mexico-Spain.
A desperately lonely man is trying to balance two different aspects of his life: survival in a tough neighbourhood and his struggle to make a better future for his children.
After the success ofAmores perros,21 gramosyBabel, this is the first film by Mexican director González Iñárritu (nominated for 10 Oscars) not to have a script written by Guillermo Arriaga. This time, the film was shot in Spain (Barcelona and Navarre are the main locations) with a mostly Spanish cast,starring Javier Bardem, Blanca Portillo, Eduard Fernández and Rubén Ochandiano.
Director:Mahamat-Saleh Haroun.
Cast:Youssouf Djaoro, Diouc Koma, Emile Abossolo M'Bo.
Country:France.
While produced by French companies, the director, cast and storyline are all from Chad.A Screaming Manportrays the fall of a former swimming champion, forced to give up his job in favour of his son, who loses his source of income when the latter is falls foul of the government.
This is the first time that a Chadian filmmaker has presented a film in the official section of Cannes, although Mahamat-Saleh Haroun is a veteran of the big international festivals. Since he brought out his first film in 1999 (Bye, Bye Africa), shown at Venice, all his films have been screened at some important festival:Our Father(2002) was featured in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight series andDry Seasonwon the Special Jury Prize at Venice in 2006.
Director:Im Sangsoo.
Cast:Jeon Do-yeon, Lee Jung Jae, Yoon Yeo-jung, Seo Woo.
Country:South Korea.
This has been a controversial film since its conception, being a remake of one of the most popular Korean movies ever.The Housemaidportrays the gradual collapse of a family when the head of the household succumbs to the charms of a mysterious, sinister maid. One of the best three films in cinema history, according to Martin Scorsese, who personally participated in the restoration of the movie’s original negative.
Filmmaker Im Sangsoo makes his debut at Cannes with this daring project which has already aroused protests in his country due to some sex scenes involving the main characters.
Director:Abbas Kiarostami.
Cast:Juliette Binoche, William Shimell.
Country:France-Italy-Iran
A British writer promoting his book and a French art gallery owner meet and enjoy a fleeting romance in Italy.
Here we have two well known veterans of la Croissette. Iranian director Kiarostami has presented eight of his films in different sections of the Festival, three of which were competing:Through the Olive Trees(1994),Ten(2002) andTaste of Cherry(1997). He has also been on several jury panels. For her part, Juliette Binoche, one of the highest-earning and internationally recognised French actresses, this year top of the festival billing, has also shown off her charms on the seafront promenade at Cannes a few times: in 1985 withRendez-vousby André Techiné; and in 2000 and 2005 withCode UnknownandHiddenby Michael Haneke.
Director:Takeshi Kitano.
Cast:Takeshi Kitano, Jun Kunimura, Ryo Kase, Renji Ishibashi.
Country:Japan.
This movie represents Kitano’s long-awaited return, afterBrother, to the subject of the Yakuza (the Japanese mafia) which has inspired some of his best films. InOutrage, the Japanese actor and director tells the story of a rebel group within the mafia which Otomo, the hero played by Kitano himself, has to bring back into line.
Cult Japanese comedian, actor and director, Takeshi Kitano is another great veteran of this French festival, although so far he has never managed to take any Palms home; the first time he walked down the red carpet was as an actor in 1983, with the filmMerry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. As a director, he presentedSonatinein theA Certain Regardsection in 1993 andKids Returnin the Directors’ Fortnight in 1996. He entered the official competition for the first time in 1999 withKikujiro. Now he’s back in the genre he does best; perhaps he’ll be lucky this year.
Director:Lee Chang Dong.
Cast:Yoon Hee-Jeong, Da-Wit Lee.
Country:South Korea.
An elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, who works as a cleaning lady and has just discovered her talent as a poet, decides to give a new meaning to her existence by sorting out her grandson’s life; he is partly responsible for the suicide of a young girl.
Lee Chang Dong, writer and former Minister of Culture in his country, directed this, the second South Korean film competing this year, after moving audiences three years ago with the exquisite melodramaSecret Sunshinewhich won the Best Performance Award for the leading actress, Jeon Do-Yeon (also starring this year inThe Housemaid). Lee Chang-Dong was also a member of the official jury panel last year.
Director:Mike Leigh.
Cast:Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, Imelda Staunton, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez, Martin Savage, Michele Austin, Philip Davis, Stuart McQuarrie.
Country:Great Britain.
So far, nothing is known about the storyline of this new film by the British director, competing at Cannes for the fourth time since his debut withNakedin 1993. However, we do know that the cast is composed of some of his favourite actors, such as Jim Broadbent, Philip Davis and Imelda Staunton and that, probably, he will remain faithful to his usual style which portrays the problems of the British middle and lower classes in a way no-one else can attempt.
As we have already mentioned, Mike Leigh is quite a veteran at Cannes: as well as winning the Best Director Award in 1993 forNaked, he came away with the Golden Palm for best picture withSecrets and Lies(which also won Brenda Blethyn the best performance award) in 1996. In 1997 he visited the French Riviera as a member of the jury and in 2002 he was competing once again with the filmAll or Nothing.
Director:Doug Liman.
Cast:Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Bruce McGill.
Country:United States.
Starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, this is the only American film in the competition. It is based on the true story of spy Valerie Plame, whose identity was leaked to the press by the White House after her husband published an article accusing the government of manipulating evidence to justify the invasion of Iraq.
The director of films likeThe Bourne IdentityandMr. and Mrs. Smithis representing the United States with the only American film taking part in the official competition this year.
Director:Sergei Loznitsa.
Country:Ukraine.
This, the first Ukrainian film ever selected to compete for the Golden Palm, tells the story of Georgi, a truck driver who gets mixed up in a hellish spiral of violence and abuse of power in a country in crisis.
This is the first fiction feature film to be directed by Loznitsa, a mathematician, translator of Japanese and director of documentaries. The film features non-professional actors which the team found one by one while choosing locations for the shoot.
Director:Daniele Luchetti.
Cast:Elio Germano, Raoul Bova, Giorgio Colangeli, Ricardo Scamarcio, Stefania Montorsi.
Country:Italy.
This film, representing Italy in the competition, tells the story of a young Italian workman who, confronted with the traumatic death of someone close to him, tries to deal with the situation by taking on dubious jobs bordering the illegal.
Daniel Luchetti returns to Cannes for the fourth time after presenting his first film,It’s Happening Tomorrow, in the alternative section,A Certain Regard, in 1988. In 1991 he entered the competition for the first time withThe Yes Manand three years ago reappeared in the alternative section withMy Brother Is an Only Child.
Director:Nikita Mikhalkov.
Cast:Nikita Mikhalkov, Oleg Menshikov, Sergey Garmash, Nadezhda Mikhalkova, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Mikhail Efremov.
Country:Russia.
15 years ago, the story of a Soviet military official betrayed under Stalin won the Oscar for best foreign language film and two jury prizes (the Grand Jury Prize and the general jury prize) here at Cannes. On this occasion, Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov focuses on the adventures of the same official, Division Commander Kotov, during what the Russians called "The Great Patriotic War"; i.e. the Russian episode in the Second World War.
The director, who confessed he was unsure how the West would react to his film, has worked on the project for over seven years, and his "prequel" has now been selected to compete for the Golden Palm. This is the third time he has competed as, in addition toBurnt by the Sun, in 1987 he presentedDark Eyes, which won the best actor award that year for Marcelo Mastroianni.
Director:Bertrand Tavernier.
Cast:Mélanie Thierry, Gaspard Ulliel, Lambert Wilson, Raphaël Personaz.
Country:France.
The veteran French director has adapted a novel by Madame de Lafayette about the love story of the Duc de Guise and the young Marie de Mezieres, married by force to the Prince de Montpensier.
After an extremely long absence of 20 years, Tavernier is back at la Croisette, the seafront promenade he set foot on for the first time in 1976 to presentThe Judge and the Assassinin a parallel section. He underwent the stress of competing for the first time in 1980, going for the Golden Palm withA Week’s Holiday; in 1984, he was back again withA Sunday in the Country, which won him the Best Director award. Six years later, the red carpet received him again, in the competitive section withDaddy Nostalgia. This year he returns in state with this historic drama.
Director:Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Country:Thailand.
Thai independent film director Apichatpong Weerasethakul refers back to the plot of one of his early shorts in this movie (A Letter to Uncle Boonmee), to present us this dreamlike film, with touches of magical realism, portraying the last days of an elderly man who comes back to die at his farm, lost in the middle of the Thai jungle. Here he is reunited with the spirit of his dead wife and the reincarnation in monkey form of his lost son, amongst others.
This is the third film which this Thai director -with a name to conjure with - has presented in the competitive section at Cannes; the first wasBlissfully Yourswhich won the "A Certain Regard" award in 2002, and the secondTropical Malady, winner of the Special Jury Prize two years later.
Director:Xiaoshuai Wang.
Country:China.
Xiaoshuai Wang is another well known figure at la Croisette, he was here in 2005 to presentShanghai Dreams, competing in the competition, and which won him the Audience Award. Also on his CV are two Berlin Silver Bears forBeijing BicycleandIn Love We Trust. In his country he is considered extremely independent, using his own funds as he does and always filming in digital formats, which allow him greater mobility and closeness to his actors. InChongqing Blueshe portrays the desperate search of a father for his son in a very particular style, influenced by the New Wave.
Director:Kornél Mundruczó.
Cast:Kornél Mundruczó, Lili Monori, Miklós Székely B., Kitty Csíkos.
Country:Hungary.
An intriguing version of the Frankenstein myth, in which the monster is replaced by an adolescent who, on returning home from his boarding school, is received with hostility by his family. In his struggle to win their love and respect he ends up murdering them.
Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó returns to Cannes, where he competed two years ago with the filmDelta, which obtained the FIPRESCI Award.
With an official section full of works by lesser known film personalities, the most glamorous film festival in the world needs a hand from out-of-competition titles to add dazzle to the red carpet which, otherwise, would be somewhat understated and lacking in star power. This year, with Hollywood notably absent from the in-competition section, the task of brightening up the Cannes scene falls to heavyweights not in the running for the awards, such as Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Woody Allen, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Shia LaBeouf, and Anthony Hopkins.
These will be the grand out-of-competition premieres at Cannes:
Director:Ridley Scott.
Cast:Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, Matthew Macfadyen, Danny Huston .
Country:United States.
MA great deal has already been said and written about this, the latest film version of Robin Hood, which with due pomp and ceremony will be opening the 63rd edition of the most famous film festival in the world. In brief: it was directed by Ridley Scott and stars Russell Crowe, a successful duo who have already given us cinematographic triumphs likeGladiator,Body of LiesandAmerican Gangster. In order to squeeze into the tights of the most famous British thief of all time, Russell has been on a strict diet (remember how heavy he was inBody of LiesandState of Play) and is back in fighting form, as he was inGladiator. We are aware that he was hurt by the crueller critics who claimed he was too old to play Robin (and, in fact, at 46, he is the oldest actor, including Sean Connery inRobin and Marian, to do so). Sweet maid Marion, who in this version is neither sweet nor virginal, but a strong-minded widow who can’t quite get the Prince of Thieves under her thumb, is played by Cate Blanchett.
We don’t know whether the actor-director pair will manage to equal the success of their first film. But we are sure that with the world première being held here, the Cannes Film Festival will get a substantial dose of glamour and plenty of stars for its red carpet opening gala.
Director:Woody Allen.
Cast:Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Freida Pinto, Antonio Banderas, Lucy Punch.
Country:Great Britatin-Spain
The second collaboration involving the New York genius Woody Allen and the Spanish production company Mediapro after the disappointingVicky Cristina Barcelona, will be shown, as that was two years ago, in the official section out of competition. Little is known of the storyline so far, but we do know that it is set in London and is about the romantic problems of different members of the same family. Leading the cast (more stars for the red carpet) are Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), Naomi Watts and Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire).
Director:Stephen Frears.
Cast:Gemma Arterton, Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Tamsin Greig, Roger Allam, Bill Camp, Zahra Ahmadi.
Country:Great Britain.
It’s quite possible that to non-British ears the title of the new film which director Stephen Frears is presenting at Cannes won’t ring many bells. Tamara who?Tamara Drewe, was originally a comic strip serial in the newspaper "The Guardian", which was later turned into a comic in its own right. The Tamara concerned is a feisty reporter who, just after getting her nose fixed, returns to her home town and starts breaking the locals’ hearts.
The director of films likeThe Queen,The Griftersor the more recentChérichose Bond girl Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) to play his reporter heroine.Tamara Drewbrings the British director back to Cannes for the sixth time; he has been in the official competition twice (Prick Up Your EarsandThe Van), had two films in the Directors’ Fortnight (The HitandThe Snapper) and three years ago came as Chairman of the Jury Panel.
Director:Olivier Assayas.
Cast:Edgar Ramírez, Alexander Beyer, Anna Thalbach.
Country:France.
Known worldwide as Carlos or the Jackal, Illich Ramírez Sánchez is one of the best known and most dangerous terrorists in the world, a mercenary responsible for over fifty attacks currently serving time in a French prison. French filmmaker Olivier Assayas conceived and shot the project as a TV series for Canal Plus, but also edited a shorter version to be shown in cinemas (although apparently the complete five and a half hour version will be seen at Cannes!)
Since he walked down the festival’s red carpet for the first time withLaissé inachevé à Tokioin 1983, Assayas has presented six of his feature films here, three in competition (Les destinées sentimentales,DemonloverandClean).
Director:Oliver Stone.
Cast:Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Charlie Sheen, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon, Frank Langella.
Country:United States.
Speculators of the world, tremble: Gordon Gekko is back. The insatiable executive fromWall Streetwho, 24 years ago, confirmed Michael Douglas’ position as a top Hollywood star, returns to the screens of a financially chaotic world in a state of crisis. If you recall, 25 years ago we left the finance shark in a New York park about to be arrested, accused of insider trading and a few other things. The sequel begins when he gets out of jail: he has served eight years, lost all his money and he isn’t allowed to work on the Stock Exchange. So, instead, he writes books and gives lectures on the problems of the economic system. Then he meets a young man, played by Shia LaBeouf, who reminds him strongly of himself a few years ago, who persuades him to join an operation to take his revenge on the company which ruined his mentor and drove him to commit suicide.
In addition to Michael Douglas and Shia LaBeouf, the rest of the cast isn’t bad at all: Charlie Sheen returns, and Carey Mulligan (An Education), Susan Sarandon, Frank Langella, Josh Brolin and Eli Walach have signed up too. There’s only one piece of bad news: the distributors, who had intended to release the film in spring, have decided to wait until autumn to be closer to the Oscars and Golden Globes.
French director Claire Denis presides over the jury for this section, established in 1978 by Gilles Jacob, and which has become one of the most original focal points of the Cannes Film Festival. This year, "A Certain Regard" is made up of films from all five continents, with big names in cinema worldwide and a certain air of long-standing. Film legends, "enfants terribles" of the facebook generation, parents and their children, actor-directors, some famous Hollywood types… What more could one ask for from a parallel section?
Director:Manoel De Oliveira.
Cast:Pilar López de Ayala, Ricardo Trêpa, David Ferreira, Diogo Fernandes.
Country:Portugal.
Not only a long-time filmmaker, but, in fact, the living history of cinema is represented by 102-year-old Manoel de Oliveira, who presents his latest film,O estranho caso de Angélica. Starring Spanish actress Pilar López de Ayala, the Portuguese director sets up a story between the beauty in death and the obsession with the keeping the loved-one alive the owners of a hotel have and ask a photographer to do with their deceased daughter. It’s a film Oliveira has wanted to make for more than half a century but was dissuaded from doing so due to censorship issues. The film is inspired by a true story in which Oliveira was asked to photograph the lovely body of a cousin of his wife.
Director:Jean-Luc Godard.
Cast:Patti Smith, Élisabeth Vitali, Nadège Beausson-Diagne, Christian Sinniger, Maurice Sarfati, Louma Sanbar, Lenny Kaye, Alain Badiou.
Country:France.
Some twenty-two years younger than Oliveira, but in his own way and with a very different style, another name which has gone into the history books of cinema is also appearing in this section. Just upon the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere of his first characteristicÀ bout de soufflé(Breathless), Jean-Luc Godard, the hallmark director of FrenchNouvelle Vague, joins this section with the documentaryFilm socialisme, along expressionist lines, about the meeting of diverse people on a cruise ship. The director, far from thinking of retirement, is already working on his next film, which focuses on Nazism and the Second World War, and is planned to be presented at next year’s festival.
Director:Hideo Nakata.
Cast:Aaron Johnson, Imogen Poots, Matthew Beard, Hannah Murray, Daniel Kaluuya, Megan Dodds, Michelle Fairley, Nicholas Gleaves.
Country:Great Britain.
Another regular (though not quite so familiar as the filmmakers above), whose presence here in the "Un Certain Regard" section is testimony to its enormous variety, is Japanese director Hideo Nakata, best known for films likeRingandDark Water, precursors of the Asiatic horror explosion. Nakata, now living in Hollywood, is presentingChatroom, a psychological thriller, which is an adaptation of the play by Enda Walsh, in which some adolescents encourage each other to engage in destructive behaviour.
Director:Cristi Puiu.
Cast:Cristi Puiu, Valentin Popescu.
Country:Rumania.
Romanian cinema is still in fashion, and Cristi Puiu is here to make sure the trend continues. Winner of this section in 2005 withThe Death of Mr. Lazarescu, this year he is presentingAurora, in which he also stars, playing a divorced husband in the throes of a breakdown in the streets of a hostile Bucharest.
Director:Radu Muntean.
Cast:Dragos Bucur, Maria Popistasu, Victor Rebengiuc, Mimi Branescu.
Country:Rumania
Accompanied by his compatriot Cristi Puiu, Radu Muntean (who last year presentedBoogiein the Directors’ Fortnight series), has found his way into this section withTuesday, After Christmas, one of the most talked-about films on the Côte d’Azur. It tells the story of a dilemma: a man is forced to decide between his wife and his lover before Christmas.
Director:Ágnes Kocsis.
Cast:Éva Gábor, István Znamenák, Ákos Horváth, Lia Pokorny, Izabella Hegyi.
Country:Hungary.
Magyar cinematography also finds a niche in this section, with this metaphorical journey through memory, directed by Ágnes Kocsis. A nurse loses the capacity to feel her patients’ pain, or even compassion. Tired of her life, she embarks on an adventure inspired by her childhood friend, Adrienn Pal.
Director:Christoph Hochhäusler.
Cast:Robert Hunger-Bühler, Nicolette Krebitz, Mark Waschke, Wolfgang Böck, Corinna Kirchhoff.
Country:Germany.
German director Christoph Hochhäusler returns to Cannes five years afterLow ProfilewithUnter Dir Die Stadt (The City Below): another story of infidelity, in which a successful executive maintains a dangerous relationship with the wife of one of his employees. As his passion grows, so does his desire to rid himself of her husband.
Director:Fabrice Gubert.
Cast:Jules Pelissier, Ana Girardot, Serge Riaboukine, Laurent Capelluto, Arthur Mazet, Yan Tassin.
Country:France.
Host country, France, as well as producing some strong competitors in the Official Section, is also represented here by Fabrice Gubert’sSimon Werner a disparu…. As an added incentive, the soundtrack is by legendary band "Sonic Youth". As the name suggests, the film is about the disappearance of Simon Werner and two other teenagers from a Paris suburb, until, during a party several weeks later, some other young people find a body hidden in a wood. Rumours start to fly and psychosis spirals out of control.
Director:David Verbeek.
Cast:Stijn Koomen, Huan-Ru Ke, Tom De Hoog, Phi Nguyen.
Country:The Netherlands.
Scandinavian film is conspicuous only by its absence from the competition within the European selection, despite its popularity in festival circles (though it enjoys considerably less commercially). The closest we get this year is the Dutch filmR U There, by David Verbeek. In this movie, a professional video game player who travels all over the world to attend championships suffers a profound shock when he witnesses an accident. Until that moment he had felt safe in his virtual world, where he was in control of every situation, but this event makes him reassess his life and his own mortality. It’s a film offering a caustic view of an entire generation of adolescents whose lives are dominated by virtual reality and the Internet.
Director:Lodge Kerrigan.
Cast:Géraldine Pailhas, Pascal Greggory.
Country:Great Britain.
In 2004 withKeane, he triumphed at the Spirit Awards and received the praise of the critics half the world over, and now British director Kerrrigan edges a little closer to glory with the psychedelic filmRebecca H. (Return To The Dogs), made with French capital and under the wing of director/screenwriter Oliver Assayas. Set in the sixties, it portrays a period in the life of Grace Slick, singer of the group "Jefferson Airplane".
Director:Iván Fund y Santiago Loza.
Cast:Eva Bianco, Victoria Raposo, Adela Sanchez, Raul Lagge.
Country:Argentina.
Considering the lack of Spanish films this year, we will have to make do with the Hispano-American contribution. Santiago Loza started out giving advice to his protegé Iván Fund about his project and ended up co-directing this film, a blend of fiction and documentary, which won the best director award at the BAFICI (Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival).Los labiosis about three social workers who travel to the bleak rural interior of the country; ironically, the inhabitants of the region, whom they have supposedly come to help, end up "saving" the three women from a bureaucratic state and an uncaring society.
Director:Pablo Trapero
Cast:Ricardo Darín, Martina Gusmán
Country:Argentina.
At the last minute Pablo Trapero managed to get his filmCaranchoincluded in this section. Apparently it wasn’t accepted earlier due to a technical problem with the copy sent to Paris for the selection process. The director ofLion’s DenandEl bonaerense, both also presented at Cannes, succeeded in signing up the star of the Oscar winningThe Secret in Their Eyes, Ricardo Darín, and his wife Martina Gusmán, to play a lawyer specialising in car accidents and an accident and emergency doctor, who get mixed up in a police intrigue in the best film noir style.
Director:Daniel y Diego Vega.
Cast:Bruno Odar, Gabriela Velásquez, Carlos Gassols, Víctor Prada, María Carvajal, Sofía Palacios y Sheryl Sánchez.
Country:Peru.
The other representative of the Spanish language is the first Peruvian film ever to be selected for this parallel section. With guidance from Spanish director Javier Corcuera, first-time filmmaker brothers Daniel and Diego Vega tell the story of Clemente Barrionuevo, a moneylender whose only contact with other people is through his clients and the prostitutes he frequents. However, one day he finds an abandoned baby in his house and hires a woman to look after it, while he searches for its mother. What he doesn’t know is that his extremely religious nanny is actually on the hunt for a husband in order to start a family.
Director:Xavier Dolan.
Cast:Xavier Dolan, Niels Schneider, Monia Chokri.
Country:Canada.
Next up on the list is quite "un enfant terrible" ("bad boy") of modern cinema. Canadian director-actor Xavier Dolan is back on track surprising us with his irreverent and pseudo-autobiographical debut,J'ai tué ma mère. Among the numerous awards this film received were CICAE Award, the Prix Regards Jeune, and the SACD Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival; a nomination for the César Award as Best Foreign Film, and represented Canada at the Oscars. WithLes Amours Imaginaireshe again brings us provocation and controversy through the unbridled passions of a love triangle made up of three intimate friends, one of which is played by the 21 year-old director himself.
Director:Derek Cianfrance.
Cast:Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman, Ben Shenkman.
Country:United States.
On the other side of the border, modest American representation is limited toBlue Valentineby Derek Cianfrance, starring well-known actors Ryan Gosling (The Notebook) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain), who play a married couple who show us, during the film, the various love-related problems that can arise in the course of living together.
Director:Oliver Schmitz.
Cast:Khomotso Manyaka, Lerato Mvelase, Lilian Manamela, Harriet Manamela.
Country:Germany-South Africa-France.
Years afterMapantsula, South African director Oliver Schmitz returns to "A Certain Regard". We recently saw him participating in the pieces of the collective workParis, je t´aime. Now being presented to the public-at-large isLife Above All, focused on the touching relationship between a mother and her daughter from a small village devastated by AIDS, showing us all of the rough edges of life today on the African continent.
Director:Hong Sang-soo.
Cast:Kim Sang-kyeong, Yoo Joon-sang y Moon So-ri.
Country:South Korea.
Although fully represented (as is almost always the case) in the Official Section in competition, the most exotic pieces of Asian cinema aren’t overlooked here, either. South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo, twice nominated for the Palme d’Or Award, forTale of CinemaandNight and Day, tries for it again withHahaha, in which, as is customary in his films, he focuses on film personalities, in this instance, a director who wants to go to Canada to finish his studies and become a film critic.
Director:Vikramaditya Motwane.
Cast:Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor, Anand Tiwari.
Country:India.
India also deserves a place among experimental films withUdaan, by newcomer Vikramaditya Motwane, first film from this country to participate in the section, but with a common theme at the current edition: the relationship between a father and son.
Director:Zhang-ke Jia
Cast:Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor, Anand Tiwari.
Country:China.
Although its compatriotChongqing Bluesis in the Official Section, what better justice could there be than for another Chinese film to take its place? The director ofSanxia Haoren(Still Life), Zhang Ke Jia, faithful to his style half-way between documentary and fiction, premieresHai Shang Chuan Qi. It’s a full portrait of the city of Shanghai, showing all of the transformations Chinese society has experienced in the past fifty years. This project has been financed by the World Expo of Shanghai, but what is purely anecdotal is that it came about when director was compiling information on the city for his film adaptation of the novel "La Condition Humaine" ("Man’s Fate"), by French writer André Malraux.
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