European cinema lands in Cabourg

by Fabien Lemercier

14/06/2007 - The 21st Cabourg Film Festival (June 14-17) gets underway today in the Norman seaside resort town. The festival – which features a selection of romantic European films and is presided over by actress Emmanuelle Béart – will show eight feature films by young European directors.

The European Days section includes California Dreamin’ [trailer] by Romanian helmer Cristian Nemescu (Un Certain Regard prizewinner at Cannes, see article), 2007 Berlinale competition entry In Memory of Myself [trailer] by Italian helmer Saverio Costanzo (see article) and German director Valeska Grisebach’s Longing [trailer].

The programme also features the German/UK/Irish co-production True North by UK director Steve Hudson (see article); Szabolcs Hajdu’s 2006 Directors’ Fortnight entry for Hungary, White Palms [trailer, film focus] (see news and interview); Svetozar Ristovski’s Macedonian film Illusion; Polish helmer Piotr Trzaskalski’s The Master (see news); and Little Secrets [trailer] by Luxembourg’s Pol Cruchten (see article).

The festival, whose guests this year include Marion Cotillard, Guillaume Canet, Catherine Breillat, Mathilde Seigner and François Ozon, is also offering a competition of eight features.

Films in competition at Cabourg, whose jury is presided over by Andrzej Zulawski, are Julie Delpy’s 2 Days in Paris [trailer, film focus], What Makes You Happy [trailer, film focus] by Belgium’s Joachim Lafosse (see Focus), Céline Sciamma’s Un Certain Regard entry Water Lilies [trailer] (see article), Eric Guirado’s Le fils de l'Epicier (“Butcher’s Son”) and Olivier de Plas’ Tel père, telle fille (“Like Father, like Son”).

Lastly, there will be an exceptional screening of Sandrine Bonnaire’s documentary Elle s'appelle Sabine [trailer] (coup de cœur at the recent Directors’ Fortnight, see news), a special screening of Nadir Moknèche’s Délice Paloma (“Paloma Delight”), Martin Valente’s Fragiles and Michel Boujenah’s 3 amis [trailer] (“3 Friends”), which will screen out of competition.

(Translated from French)