Just ten days before the announcement of the official programme of the Cannes Film Festival (May 17-28), hypotheses over the Italian filmmakers who could be present at the event boil down to these four names: Moretti, Bellocchio, Crialese and Rossi Stuart.

There are few doubts about The Caiman [trailer, film focus] by Nanni Moretti. A Palme d'Or winner in 2000 with The Son’s Room [trailer], the Italian director is highly esteemed by festival director Thierry Frémaux, and the success of his latest film at home is a sign that the French will not be disappointed either.
Another favourite in France is Emanuele Crialese, whose Respiro: Grazia’s Island [trailer] won the Critics Week section at Cannes in 2002 and was very successful with French audiences. The Golden Door [trailer, film focus], the story of a Sicilian family that immigrates to the US at the turn of the 20th century is a €10m Italian/French co-production starring Charlotte Gainsbourg. Both Moretti and Crialese should be shoe-ins for the competition.

A place of honour could be reserved in the Un certain regard section for Il regista di matrimoni (lit. “The Wedding Director”) by Marco Bellocchio, about a filmmaker thrown him into crisis by his son’s marriage to a devout Catholic, so he travels to Sicily in search of the inspiration he seems to have lost. Bellocchio’s film will soon be screened for the Italian press and will be released at home on April 21.

The Italian contingent in Cannes will probably be rounded out by the directorial debut of 37 year-old actor Kim Rossi Stuart, currently on French screens in Crime Novel. His film, Anche libero va bene [trailer, film focus] (lit. “Even Free is Fine”), currently in post-production, will also be screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section. Produced by Palomar and RAI Cinema, the film tells the story of a heartrending family conflict.

Croisette candidates also include N-Napoleone [trailer] by Paolo Virzì, starring Daniel Auteuil and Monica Bellucci, an Italian/French/Spanish co-production that will also be screened at the Rome International Film Festival in mid-October.