We finally know what will be showing at the festival, as per this announcement in
It's official:
Quentin Tarantino,
Ang Lee and
Pedro Almodovar will face off with
Jane Campion,
Ken Loach,
Michael Haneke and
Park Chan-wook in Cannes' biggest heavyweight auteur smackdown in recent years.
All have snagged Competition berths at next month's 62nd Cannes Festival, whose Official Selection was unveiled Thursday.
This year's Competition is heavy on European fare but the lightest Yank presence since 2006. Asia makes a strong showing.
Cannes has given competition berths to Quentin Tarantino's World War II actioner "Inglourious Basterds," toplining
Brad Pitt, and Lee's "Talking Woodstock," a comedic take on the legendary concert, with
Liev Schreiber,
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and
Emile Hirsch.
Sam Raimi's feel-good horror movie, "Drag Me to Hell," already a highlight in an unfinished version at March's SXSW fest, scores a Midnight Screening slot.
Terry Gilliam screens Out of Competition with "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." Of other U.S. pics,
Lee Daniel's
"Precious" plays in Un Certain Regard.
Competition includes Almodovar's "Broken Embraces," Jane Campion's "Bright Star" and Ken Loach's "Looking for Eric."
Amping up the auteur factor, Competition will also feature
Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," Austrian Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon,"
Isabel Coixet's "Map of the Sounds of Tokyo" and Italian
Marco Bellocchio's "Vincere."
Confirming prognostications, Cannes Official Selection looks relatively light on U.S. fare this year. At a packed press conference in Paris'
Grand Hotel, fest program director Thierry Fremaux, flanked by Cannes president
Gilles Jacob, told journos Thursday that Hollywood WGA strike could have been responsible for the lighter U.S. presence.
As already announced, continuing its support for ground-breaking studio toon pics, fest opens with
Pete Docter and
Bob Peterson's Pixar movie
"Up," the first time an animated film, let alone a Digital 3-D one, has kicked off Cannes.
Park Chan-wook's
"Thirst" leads a strong Asian presence in Competition. He has joined by more Asian titles:
Johnnie To's
"Vengeance," Brillante Mendoza's "Kinatay" and
"Face," a French-set extravaganza from the Taiwan-based maverick. China's
Lou Ye (
"Summer Palace") is back at Cannes with a reportedly torrid young love triangle tale,
"Spring Fever."Otherwise this year's Cannes Competition belongs largely to Europe.
Alain Resnais' "Les Herbes folles,"
Jacques Audiard's "A Prophet,"
Xavier Giannoli's
"In the Beginning" and
Gaspar Noe's "Enter the Void" fly the flag for France, which has one of its biggest Competish presences in recent years, especially if one includes co-production.
Competition is given spread by a sprinkling of newish directors such as Brit
Andrea Arnold, who segues from acclaimed debut
"Red Road" to teenage girl drama "Fish Tank," and Competition is rounded up by Palestine's
Elia Suleiman,
"The Time That Remains," a six-decade Palestine family saga.
Alejandro Amenabar's "Agora" snared an out-of-competition placing.
Cannes' 62nd edition closes May 24 with
Jan Kounen's "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky."
Cannes' Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week will be fully announced Friday in Paris.
...a dramedy, no less. The Hollywood Reporter has the details:
