What's On At Cannes?

Some of the world's top film-makers will be competing for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, but none of them will be British. It's a shame as 2006's Palme d'Or was won by British director Ken Loach for The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

 

This year, the jury is headed by Brit director Stephen Frears (The Queen) - just as well as British films are conspicuous by their absence. However, Michael Winterbottom waves the flag with A Mighty Heart, a film showing out of competition about murdered journalistDanny Pearl starring Angelina Jolie. In addition, Control - the debut feature by photographer Anton Corbijn about Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis - will open the prestigious Directors' Fortnight. Members of New Order and Bono will be among the guests.

 

As you'd expect, the US feature strongly with films by the likes of: the Coen Brothers (No Country For Old Men); David Fincher (serial killer movie Zodiac starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr); Gus Van Sant (Paranoid Park) and Quentin Tarantino all in competition. Death Proof is Tarantino's section of double-bill thriller Grindhouse (the other part was directed by Robert Rodriguez). It has been poorly received on the other side of the Atlantic. How will they view it in Cannes? 

 

Not in competition, but guaranteed to attract strong interest are contributions from Farenheit 911 director Michael Moore and Steven Soderbergh. The former will showcase his US health care system documentary Sicko, while the latter launches Ocean's Thirteen, the third in the heist series starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. And yes, Brangelina will be there…

The opening film at this year's Cannes Film Festival will be Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights, starring Jude Law, Ed Harris, Natalie Portman and jazz singer Norah Jones in a story about a woman travelling across America. Here's the full list of what's on at Cannes:

 

Opening night

My Blueberry Nights Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong

 

In Competition

An Old Mistress (Une Vieille Maitresse) - Catherine Breillat, France

The Love Songs (Les Chansons d'amour) - Christophe Honore, France

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly - Julian Schnabel, France

Auf der anderen Seite des Lebens - Fatih Akin, Turkey

Breath - Kim Ki-duk, South Korea

No Country For Old Men - The Coen Brothers, US

Zodiac - David Fincher, US

We Own The Night - James Gray, US

Mogari No Mori - Naomi Kawase, Japan

Promise Me This - Emir Kusturica, Serbia

Secret Sunshine - Lee Chang-Dong, South Korea

4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days - Cristian Mungiu, Romania

Tehilim - Raphael Nadjari, France

Silent Light - Carlos Reygada, Mexico

Persepolis Marjane - Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, France

Import/Export - Ulrich Seid, Austrial

Alexandra - Alexander Sokurov, Russia

Death Proof - Quentin Tarantino, US

The Man From London - Bela Tarr, Hungary

Paranoid Park - Gus Van Sant, US

The Banishment - Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia

 

Out of competition

Sicko - Michael Moore, U.S.

Ocean's Thirteen - Steven Soderbergh, US

A Mighty Heart - Michael Winterbottom, UK

 

Closing night

The Age Of Darkness - Denys Arcand, Canada

 

Where are the Cannes hot spots? Get interactive with Live Maps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get interactive with Live Maps and check out Cannes

 

 

 

By Lorna Cooper, Entertainment Editor - Feedback  - Discuss - Blog