Eight European titles vying for Palme d’Or

23/04/2008

There will be a breath of fresh talent at the 61st edition of the Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25), whose official selection was unveiled at midday today in Paris by festival president Gilles Jacob and delegate general Thierry Frémeaux.

Of the 20 directors competing for the 2008 Palme d’Or, eight of them are in fact making their official competition debut.

A total of eight European features will be in the line-up (including an as yet unnamed French film, and unconfirmed opening and closing films) headed by Belgium’s Dardenne brothers, who will vie for a third Palme d’Or with The Silence of Lorna.

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Italian films take pride of place with two contenders (Matteo Garrone’s Gomorra and Paolo Sorrentino’s Il divo), alongside the French titles that had already been named: Arnaud Desplechin’s Conte de Noël (“Christmas Tale”) and Philippe Garrel’s La frontière de l’aube (“The Edge of Dawn”).

Festival regular Wim Wenders will represent Germany with The Palermo Shooting but the surprise contender is Hungarian title Delta by Kornél Mundruczó (success predicted by Cineuropa – news).

The 12 other competition titles are dominated by four US features (including films by Steven Soderbergh and Clint Eastwood), three South American films (including Walter Salles’ latest) and three Asian titles (including Chinese director Jia Zhangke’s 24 City).

The Middle East will be represented by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Israel’s Ari Folman (with an animated documentary).

Limited to 49 features for the moment, the Official Selection programme will also include out-of-competition screenings of the latest works by Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen, as well as special screenings of Italian director Marco Tullio Giordana’s Sangue pazzo (“Mad Blood”) and Wong Kar Wai’s The Ashes of Time Redux.

Competition

Le Silence de Lorna [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arta Dobroshi
interview: Arta Dobroshi
interview: Jean-Pierre et Luc Dardenne
interview: Olivier Bronckart
film profile] - Luc et Jean-Pierre Dardenne (BE)
Gomorra [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Domenico Procacci
interview: Jean Labadie
interview: Matteo Garrone
film profile] - Matteo Garrone (IT)
Il divo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicola Giuliano
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
interview: Philippe Desandre
film profile] - Paolo Sorrentino (IT)
The Palermo Shooting [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Wim Wenders (DE)
Delta [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kornél Mundruczó
interview: Orsi Tóth
film profile] - Kornél Mundruczó (HU)
Conte de Noël [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Arnaud Desplechin (FR)
La frontière de l’aube [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Philippe Garrel (FR)
Leonera - Pablo Trapero (AR)
Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman (US)
Changeling - Clint Eastwood (US)
Adoration - Atom Egoyan (CA)
Three Monkeys - Nuri Bilge Ceylan (TR)
My Magic - Eric Khoo (ID)
Linha de Passe - Walter Salles (BR)
Che - Steven Soderbergh (US)
24 City - Jia Zhangke (CN)
Serbis - Brillante Mendoza (PH)
Waltz With Bashir [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ari Folman (doc - IL)
La mujer sin cabeza - - Lucrecia Martel (AR)

Out of Competition

Vicky Cristina Barcelona [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Woody Allen(US -ES)
Indiana Jones et le Royaume du Crâne de Cristal - Steven Spielberg(US)
The Good, the Bad, the Weird - Jee-woon (KR)
Kung Fu Panda - Mark Osborne & John Stevenson (US)

Special Screenings

Sangue pazzo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Marco Tullio Giordana (IT)
The Ashes of Time Redux - Wong Kar Wai (CN)
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired - Marina Zenovich (US)
C'est dur d'être aimé par des cons - Daniel Leconte (FR)
Chelsea Hotel - Abel Ferrara
Of Time and the City - Terence Davies (UK)