19/04/2007

It was a morning of surprises in Paris, with the announcement of the official competition contenders at the 60th Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27).

Unveiled this morning by the Festival’s artistic director Thierry Frémaux, the 22 films selected include those by young directors and do not feature expected titles by Kitano, Hou Hsiao Hsien, Roy Andersson, Claude Miller and Todd Haynes.

Europe faces a head-to-head with the US, who have 10 and six films selected respectively. Only four Asian titles attempt to balance the act (China’s Wong Kar Wai as opening film, Japan’s Naomi Kawase and Korea’s Lee Chang-dong and Kim Ki-duk), along with one Mexican title (Carlos Reygadas) and an unexpected French/Israeli film (Raphael Nadjari).

Eastern Europe will also have a strong presence, with films by Bosnian director Emir Kusturica, Hungary’s Bela Tarr, Romania’s Cristian Mungiu and two Russian titles by Andrei Zvyagintsev and Alexander Sokurov.

Other films include those by Turkish/German director Fatih Akin and Austria’s Ulrich Seidl.

A final mention goes to the French delegation, which will be represented by Christophe Honoré, Catherine Breillat and directing duo Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s animated film.

However, the US steals the show with films by Cannes regulars Gus Van Sant, Quentin Tarantino, the Coen brothers, James Gray, David Fincher and Julian Schnabel (for a French production).

UK director Michael Winterbottom’s film has been selected out of competition, as well as titles by renowned US helmers Michael Moore and Steven Soderbergh.

Films in Competition
My Blueberry Nights [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Wong Kar-Wai
An Old Mistress [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Catherine Breillat
The Love Songs - Christophe Honoré
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Julian Schnabel
On the Other Side [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
interview: Klaus Maeck
film profile] - Fatih Akin
No Country For Old Men - Ethan Coen/Joel Coen
Zodiac - David Fincher
We Own the Night - James Gray
Mogari No Mori - Naomi Kawase
Promise Me This [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Emir Kusturica
Secret Sunshine - Lee Chang-Dong
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days - Cristian Mungiu
Tehilim - Raphaël Nadjari
Silent Light - Carlos Reygadas
Persepolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marc-Antoine Robert
interview: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Pa…
film profile] - Marjane Satrapi/Vincent Paronnaud
Import/Export [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Ulrich Seidl
Alexandra - Alexander Sokurov
Death Proof - Quentin Tarantino
The Man from London [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Bela Tarr
Paranoid Park [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Gus Van Sant
The Banishment - Andrey Zvyagintsev
Breath - Kim Ki-duk

Out of competition
Sicko - Michael Moore
Ocean’s Thirteen - Steven Soderbergh
A Mighty Heart [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Michael Winterbottom

Midnight Screenings, out of competition
Go Go Tales [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Abel Ferrara
U2 3D - Catherine Owens / Mark Pellington
Boarding Gate [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Olivier Assayas

Special Screenings, out of competition
11th Hour - Leila Conners Petersen / Nadia Conners
The War - Lynn Novick / Ken Burns
He Fengming - Bing Wang
Retour En Normandie – Nicolas Philibert

Tributes

Boxes - Jane Birkin
Roman De Gare - Claude Lelouch
Centochiodi [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Ermanno Olmi
Ulzhan [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Volker Schlondorff

Cannes Classics
Maurice Pialat, L'Amour Existe - Anne-Marie Faux / Jean-Pierre Devillers
Brando - Mimi Freedman and Leslie Grief
Lindsay Anderson, Never Apologize - Mike Kaplan
Pierre Ressient - Todd McCarthy

Cinefondation
Aditi Singh - Mickael Kummer
Ahora Todos Parecen Contentos - Gonzalo Tobal
Your Younger Daughter Rachel - Efrat Corem
Chinese Whispers - Raka Dutta
For The Love Of God - Joseph Tucker
Goyta - Joanna Jurewicz
Halbe Stunden – Nicolas Wackerbarth
Minus - Pavle Vuckovic
Pathways - Hagar Ben-Asher
Imprudence - Alexander Kugel
A Reunion - Sung-hoon Hong
Rondo - Marja Mikkonen
Ru Dao - Tao Chen
Saba - Thereza Menezes and Gregorio Graziosi
Triple 8 Palace - Alexander Ku
Vita Di Giacomo - Luca Governator

Short Films
Resistance Aux Tremblements - Olivier Hems
Run - Mark Albiston
The Oate's Valor - Tim Thaddeus Cahill
The Last 15 - Antonio Campos
Grandma - Anthony Chen
Ark - Grzegorz Jonkajtys
Ver Llover - Elisa Miller
To Onoma Tou Spourgitiou - Kyros Papavassiliou
Looking Glass - Erik Rosenlund
My Sister - Marco Ven Geffen
My Dear Rosetta - Hae-hoon Yang

(Translated from French)