23/04/2009

International cinema’s big names will be back in force on the Croisette for the 62nd Cannes Film Festival (May 13-24), whose official selection was unveiled at midday today in Paris by delegate general Thierry Frémaux.

Twenty titles will screen in competition, including the new works by four previous Palme d’Or winners (Jane Campion, Ken Loach, Lars von Trier and Quentin Tarantino) and six directors lauded at past editions (Michael Haneke, Alain Resnais, Jacques Audiard, Elia Suleiman, Andrea Arnold and Park Chan-wook). This renewed confidence in the jewels of Cannes’ crown is confirmed by the presence of one competition newcomer: Isabelle Coixet (one of three women directors in the selection).

With ten films in competition, Europe dominates the list of contenders and will be represented by three French directors (Resnais, Audiard and Xavier Giannoli), two Spanish (Pedro Almodóvar and Coixet), two British (Loach and Arnold), one Danish (Von Trier), one Italian (Marco Bellocchio) and an Austrian (Haneke). Added to this impressive contingent is the presence of Argentinean director Gaspard Noé with an English-language French production shot in Japan.

There is a strong Asian contingent with five features (by Johnnie To, Chan-wook, Brillante Mendoza, Tsai Ming-liang and Lou Ye). Moreover, Ang Lee will unveil one of the only two US productions in the line-up, besides Tarantino’s.

The low number of US films is, according to Frémaux, a consequence of the American screenwriters’ strike last year.

This panorama of international film is completed by New Zealand’s Campion and Palestine’s Suleiman.

Meanwhile, the enticing out-of-competition programme includes films by Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar and Terry Gilliam, as well as midnight screenings of features by Sam Raimi, French filmmaker Marina de Van and the Belgian animated film A Town Called Panic.

Finally, while the festival will open with Pixar’s latest 3D production, Up, it will close with French director Jan Kounen’s Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky.

Competition
Ken Loach - Looking for Eric [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cannes 2009
Ken Loach
interview: Steve Evets - actor
film profile] (UK)
Lars von Trier - Anti-Christ [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lars von Trier
film profile] (DK)
Pedro Almodóvar - Broken Embraces [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pedro Almodóvar
film profile] (ES)
Michael Haneke - The White Ribbon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Haneke
film profile] (AT)
Marco Bellocchio - Vincere [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cannes 2009 Marco Bellocc…
interview: Filippo Timi - actor
film profile] (IT)
Isabel Coixet - Map of the Sounds of Tokyo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (SP)
Brillante Mendoza - Kinakay (PH)
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (US)
Ang Lee - Taking Woodstock (US)
Jane Campion - Bright Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (NZ)
Tsai Ming-liang - Faces [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (TW)
Johnnie To – Vengeance (HK)
Elia Suleiman - The Time That Remains (PS)
Xavier Giannoli - In the Beginning [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (FR)
Andrea Arnold - Fish Tank [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrea Arnold
film profile] (UK)
Alain Resnais - Les herbes folles [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (FR)
Jacques Audiard - Un prophète [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile] (FR)
Lou Ye - Spring Fever (CN)
Gaspar Noé - Soudain le vide [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (FR)

Out of Competition
Alejandro Amenábar - Agora [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (ES)
Terry Gilliam - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (US)
Robert Guédiguian - L'armée du crime [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (FR)

Special Screenings
Michel Gondry - L'épine Dans le Coeur [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Zhao Liang - Petition
Souleymane Cissé - Min Ye
Keren Yedaya - Jaffa [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Adolfo Alix Jr., Raya Martin - Manila
Anne Aghion - My Neighbor, My Killer
Eduardo Valente - Eye of the Storm
Ounie Lecomte - A Brand New Life
Fanny Ardant - Cendres et Sang

Midnight Screenings
Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar - A Town Called Panic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stéphane Aubier and Vincen…
interview: Stéphane Aubier & Vincent P…
film profile] (BE)
Sam Raimi - Drag Me to Hell (US)
Marina de Van - Ne te retourne pas [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (FR)

Closing Night Film:
Jan Kounen - Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

(Translated from French)