email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

CANNES 2013 Selection

La Croisette looming in sight

by 

- A multitude of contenders feed speculations about Canne’s future selection. Dreams of Cannes... and the list of the main candidates

Now that the Berlinale is coming to an end, everyone's thoughts are turning towards the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival (from May 15th to 26th, 2013) and predictions abound about which films might be chosen by Thierry Frémaux. Overview of the main contenders for a selection on the Croisette, with an opening that would look good with The Great Gatsby by Australian director Baz Lurhmann, for example.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)
Hot docs EFP inside

On the European side, where exceptionally Lars Von Trier and Pedro Almodóvar will be absent, the most widely expected contenders are Only God Forgives by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, Twelve Years a Slave (an American production) by British director Steve McQueen, La grande belleza by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, and the French favourites: Un indien des plaines (Jimmy P.) by Arnaud Desplechin, Blue is the Warmest Colour by Abdellatif Kechiche, and possibly Venus in Fur by Roman Polanski if editing is speeded up. Amongst the outsiders, it is worth mentioning Nine Minutes Interval by Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu, Michael Kohlhaas by Arnaud des Pallières (starring Mads Mikkelsen), Un château en Italie by Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Jeune et jolie by François Ozon, Abus de faiblesse by Catherine Breillat and Bastards by Claire Denis

Amongst the Old Continent’s other potential candidates for a trip to the Croisette are We Come As Friends by Austrian director Hubert Sauper, The Invisible Woman by British director Ralph Fiennes, A Field in England by Ben Wheatley, the German film Happy Birthday by French director Denis Dercourt, Nude Area by Urszula Antoniak, a Dutch director of Polish origin, the mysterious Dau by Russian director Ilya Khrzhanovsky, The Gambler by Hungarian director Szabolcs Hajdu, Oktober November by Austrian director Götz Spielmann, Histoire de la Meva Mort by Portuguese director Albert Serra, Open Windows by Spanish director Nacho Vigalondoand Goodbye to Language by Jean-Luc Godard.

The selection is not short of American possibilities this year, with notably The Nightingale by James Gray, Inside Llewyn Davies by the Coen brothers, The Bling Ring by Sofia Coppola, Nebraska by Alexander Payne, Her by Spike Jonze, Night Moves by Kelly Reichardt, and maybe Only Lovers Left Alive by Jim Jarmusch and The Butler by Lee Daniels. We can also dream about the out-of-competition screenings of The Wolf of Wall Street by Martin Scorsese, Blue Jasmin by Woody Allen and Pacific Rim by Guillermo del Toro. As for Canada, it will be placing its bets on Tom à la ferme by Xavier Dolan and An Enemy by Denis Villeneuve.

Asia could be in the running with, amongst others, Le Passé by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, The Congress by Israeli director Ari Folman, Snowpiercer by Korean director Bong Joon-ho, Diary of a Young Boyby Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang, Blind Detective by Chinese director Johnnie To and three Japanese movies: A Perfect Day for Plesiosaur by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Like Father, Like Sonby Hirokazu Kore-Eda and Dog Eat Dog by Shinji Aoyama

While Africa will set its hopes on Grisgris by Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, surprisescould come from Latin America where only Mexican productions appear in the predictions so far, with Manto Acuifero by Michael Rowe, Chavez by Diego Luna and A los ojos by Vicky and Michel Franco.

Finally, it is worth mentioning on the French side (probably out of competition), possibilities like Once Upon a Forest by Luc Jacquet, Mood Indigo by Michel Gondry (even if its release in April seems incompatible for the moment with the selection process), L’extravagant voyage du jeune et prodigieux T.S Spivet by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Blood Ties by Guillaume Canet, Grace de Monaco by Olivier Dahan and Malavita by Luc Besson. Also aiming for selection are Grand Central by Rebecca Zlotowki, Suzanne by Katell Quillevéré, Jacky in Women’s Kingdom by Riad Sattouf, Une autre vie by Emmanuel Mouret, Eastern Boys by Robin Campillo, Gare du Nord by Claire Simon, Tip Top by Serge Bozon, Tirez la langue mademoiselle by Axelle Ropert, L’inconnu du lac by Alain Guiraudie, Réalité by Quentin Dupieux and Dark Touch by Marina de Van. So many enticing titles for a hypothetical panorama, which is not exhaustive and that only Thierry Frémaux will clarify at the press conference on April 18th.  

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy