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Cannes Unveils Lineup
Variety
April 23, 2008
By John Hopewell
PARIS - Steven Soderbergh's two pic Che bio and Clint Eastwood's "The
Changeling" look like potential standouts at a 61st Cannes Film Festival
that may be a touch lighter on Yank Palme d'Or contenders but is heavy on
Hollywood glam, thanks to multiple U.S. pics, both studio and indie, packing
out many out-of-competition slots.
Soderbergh's inclusion - he competes with "The Argentine" and "Guerrilla" -
looks like a last-minute decision. For much of this week, there seemed
genuine uncertainty as to whether he would be able to finish the two films
by the time Cannes rolls.
Three Stateside out-of-competition players, all with major star quotients,
thanks to largely choral casts, look set to keep Palais flashguns popping at
least every other day.
As predicted, Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull" world preems down on the Croisette, possibly on Sunday May
18. It promises this fest's must-attend, highest-glam event.
Out-of-competition, DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda," an adventure,
comedic chop-soc tooner, promises another Hollywood red-carpet cavalcade.
Also non-competing, as is Woody Allen's custom, is the Spain-shot "Vicky
Cristina Barcelona."
Two U.S. productions, down from five in 2007, make a slimmed-down 20-title
Competition: Clint Eastwood's "The Changeling," a 1920s-set kidnap thriller,
with Angelina Jolie; and "Synechdoche, New York," screenwriter Charlie
Kaufman's directorial debut.
Cannes competition will roll out some Riviera regulars this year.
Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne vie for their third Palme d'Or
with young woman drama "The Silence of Lorna."
Arnaud Desplechin returns with "A Christmas Tale," a family solidarity tale,
with a star-studded French cast led by Catherine Deneuve and Mathieu
Amalric.
>From Latin America, Walter Salles returns to Cannes and Brazilian social
issues with "Linha de passe," an urban road movie, mostly set in Sao Paulo's
high-rise hell, about four soccer star wannabe brothers.
Atom Egoyan returns with "Adoration."
Jia Zhangke's "24 City" may well be the only major Chinese film at Cannes.
That has a lot to do with a current bottleneck in the Chinese censorship
process, which includes authorizing overseas travel.
Wim Wenders competes with romantic thriller, "The Palermo Shooting," with
Milla Jovovich, Dennis Hopper and Giovanna Mezzogiorno.
Another Cannes favorite, Turkish vanguard auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan, famed
for his aesthetic, contemplative dramas, incorporates a detective story into
"Daydreams."
France has three films in competition: the second is "La Frontiere de l'aube,"
>From indefatigable Nouvelle Vague auteur Philippe Garrel. A third, Fremaux
said, has still to be announced.
What's really eye-catching about Cannes' 2008 Official Selection, however,
is how the Competition throws the spotlight on a clutch of helmers who are
hardly brand auteurs, however much their films are being talked up in their
home countries.
Eight helmers are new to Competition, Fremaux announced, detailing the whole
of Cannes Official Selection.
The Israeli industry's been buzzing for months, for instance, about Ari
Folman's Competish entry, "Waltz With Bashir," an animated feature about
Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
Other Palme d'Or contenders who are hardly household names are Hungary's
Kornel Mundruczo, with "Delta," an incest-themed village drama, Italian
helmer Matteo Garrone's bestseller-based Mafia drama "Gomorra";
Tamil-language, father-son and body piercing drama "My Magic," from
Singapore's top-ranking auteur, Eric Khoo, his first film in Competition.
Prolific, but still relatively new to the scene, Philippine director
Brillante Mendoza also sees a promotion, with his latest, "Serbis," in
Competition, after "Foster Child" played Directors' Fortnight last year.
Other directors new to Competition are two Argentinians: Lucrecia Martel
with the politically tinged woman's drama "La Mujer sin cabeza," and Pablo
Trapero with "Leonera," which is generating good buzz.
Patrick Frater and Ali Jaafar contributed to this report.
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
IN COMPETITION
"24 City," China, Jia Zhangke
"Adoration," Canada, Atom Egoyan
"Changeling," U.S., Clint Eastwood
"Che" ("The Argentine," "Guerrilla,") Spain, Steven Soderbergh
"Un Conte de noel," France, Arnaud Desplechin
"Daydreams," Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
"Delta," Germany-Hungary, Kornel Mundruczo
"Il Divo," Paolo Sorrentino, Italy
"Gomorra," Italy, Matteo Garrone
"La Frontiere de l'aube," France, Philippe Garrel
"Leonera," Argentina-South Korea, Pablo Trapero
"Linha de Passe," Brazil, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas
"La Mujer sin cabeza," Argentina, Lucrecia Martel
"My Magic," Singapore, Eric Khoo
"The Palermo Shooting," Germany, Wim Wenders
"Serbis," Philippines, Brillante Mendoza
"The Silence of Lorna," U.K.-France, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
"Synecdoche, New York," U.S., Charlie Kaufman
"Waltz With Bashir," Israel, Ari Folman
OUT OF COMPETITION
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," U.S., Steven Spielberg
"Kung Fu Panda," U.S., Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
"The Good, the Bad, the Weird," South Korea, Kim Jee-woon
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona," U.S.-Spain, Woody Allen
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
"Maradona," Spain-France, Emir Kusturica
"Surveillance," U.S., Jennifer Lynch
"The Chaser," South Korea, Na Hong-jin
SPECIAL SCREENNGS
"Ashes of Time Redux," China, Wong Kar Wai
"Of Time and the City," U.K., Terence Davies
"Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," U.S.-U.K., Marina Zenovich
"Sangue Pazzo" (Crazy Blood), Italy-France, Marco Tullio Giordana
SCREENING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE JURY
"The Third Wave," U.S., Alison Thompson
UN CERTAIN REGARD
"A festa da menina morta," Brazil, Matheus Nachtergaele
"Afterschool," U.S., Antonio Campos
"De Ofrivilliga," Sweden, Ruben Ostlund
"Je veux voir," France, Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige
"Johnny Mad Dog," France, Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
"La vie moderne (profiles paysans)", France, Raymond Depardon
"Los Bastardos," Mexico, Amat Escalante
"Milh handha al-bahr," (Salt of This Sea), Palestine, Annemarie Jacir
"O' Horten," Norway-Germany, Bent Hamer
"Soi Cowboy," U.K., Thomas Clay
"Tin Che," (Parking), Taiwan, Chung Mong-Hong
"Tokyo!," France-Japan, Bong Joon-ho, Michel Gondry, Leos Carax
"Tokyo Sonata," Japan, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
"Tulpan," Germany, Sergey Dvortsevoy
"Tyson," U.S., James Toback
"Versailles," France, Pierre Schoeller
"Wendy and Lucy," U.S., Kelly Reichardt
"Wolke 9" (Cloud Nine), Germany, Andreas Dresen
"Yi ban haishui, yi ban huoyan," China, Fendou Liu
CINEFONDATION
"Ba Yue Shi Wu," U.S., Jiang Xuan
"Blind Spot," France, Johanna Bessiere, Cecile Dubois Herry, Simon Rouby,
Nicolas Chauvelot, Olivier Clert, Yvon Jardel
"Et dans mon coeur, j'emporterai...," Belgium, Yoon Sung-A
"Forbach," France, Claire Burger
"Gata," Russia, Diana Lazarian
"Gestern in Eden," Germany, Jan Speckenbach
"Himnon" (Anthem), Israel, Elad Keidan
"Illusion Dwellers," U.K., Rob Ellender
"Interior. Scara de bloc," Romania, Ciprian Alexandrescu
"Kestomerkitsijat," Finland, Juho Kuosmanen
"The Maid," U.S., Heidi Saman
"Naus," Czech Republic, Lukas Glaser
"O Som E O Resto," Brazil, Andre Lavaquial
"El Reloj," Argentina, Marco Berger
"Shtika" (Silence), Israel, Hadar Morag
"Stop," South Korea, Park Jae-ok
"This Is a Story About Ted and Alice," U.S., Teressa Tunney
SHORTS IN COMPETITION
"411-Z," Hungary, Daniel Erdelyi
"Buen Viaje" (Bon Voyage), Javier Palleiro, Guillermo Rocamora
"De Moins en Moins," France, Melanie Laurent
"El Deseo" (The Desire), Mexico, Marie Benito
"Jerrycan," Australia, Julius Avery
"Love You More," U.K., Sam Taylor Wood
"Megatron," Romania, Marian Crisan
"My Rabbit Hoppy," Australia, Anthony Lucas
"Smafuglar," Iceland, Runar Runarsson
Variety
April 23, 2008
By John Hopewell
PARIS - Steven Soderbergh's two pic Che bio and Clint Eastwood's "The
Changeling" look like potential standouts at a 61st Cannes Film Festival
that may be a touch lighter on Yank Palme d'Or contenders but is heavy on
Hollywood glam, thanks to multiple U.S. pics, both studio and indie, packing
out many out-of-competition slots.
Soderbergh's inclusion - he competes with "The Argentine" and "Guerrilla" -
looks like a last-minute decision. For much of this week, there seemed
genuine uncertainty as to whether he would be able to finish the two films
by the time Cannes rolls.
Three Stateside out-of-competition players, all with major star quotients,
thanks to largely choral casts, look set to keep Palais flashguns popping at
least every other day.
As predicted, Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull" world preems down on the Croisette, possibly on Sunday May
18. It promises this fest's must-attend, highest-glam event.
Out-of-competition, DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda," an adventure,
comedic chop-soc tooner, promises another Hollywood red-carpet cavalcade.
Also non-competing, as is Woody Allen's custom, is the Spain-shot "Vicky
Cristina Barcelona."
Two U.S. productions, down from five in 2007, make a slimmed-down 20-title
Competition: Clint Eastwood's "The Changeling," a 1920s-set kidnap thriller,
with Angelina Jolie; and "Synechdoche, New York," screenwriter Charlie
Kaufman's directorial debut.
Cannes competition will roll out some Riviera regulars this year.
Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne vie for their third Palme d'Or
with young woman drama "The Silence of Lorna."
Arnaud Desplechin returns with "A Christmas Tale," a family solidarity tale,
with a star-studded French cast led by Catherine Deneuve and Mathieu
Amalric.
>From Latin America, Walter Salles returns to Cannes and Brazilian social
issues with "Linha de passe," an urban road movie, mostly set in Sao Paulo's
high-rise hell, about four soccer star wannabe brothers.
Atom Egoyan returns with "Adoration."
Jia Zhangke's "24 City" may well be the only major Chinese film at Cannes.
That has a lot to do with a current bottleneck in the Chinese censorship
process, which includes authorizing overseas travel.
Wim Wenders competes with romantic thriller, "The Palermo Shooting," with
Milla Jovovich, Dennis Hopper and Giovanna Mezzogiorno.
Another Cannes favorite, Turkish vanguard auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan, famed
for his aesthetic, contemplative dramas, incorporates a detective story into
"Daydreams."
France has three films in competition: the second is "La Frontiere de l'aube,"
>From indefatigable Nouvelle Vague auteur Philippe Garrel. A third, Fremaux
said, has still to be announced.
What's really eye-catching about Cannes' 2008 Official Selection, however,
is how the Competition throws the spotlight on a clutch of helmers who are
hardly brand auteurs, however much their films are being talked up in their
home countries.
Eight helmers are new to Competition, Fremaux announced, detailing the whole
of Cannes Official Selection.
The Israeli industry's been buzzing for months, for instance, about Ari
Folman's Competish entry, "Waltz With Bashir," an animated feature about
Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
Other Palme d'Or contenders who are hardly household names are Hungary's
Kornel Mundruczo, with "Delta," an incest-themed village drama, Italian
helmer Matteo Garrone's bestseller-based Mafia drama "Gomorra";
Tamil-language, father-son and body piercing drama "My Magic," from
Singapore's top-ranking auteur, Eric Khoo, his first film in Competition.
Prolific, but still relatively new to the scene, Philippine director
Brillante Mendoza also sees a promotion, with his latest, "Serbis," in
Competition, after "Foster Child" played Directors' Fortnight last year.
Other directors new to Competition are two Argentinians: Lucrecia Martel
with the politically tinged woman's drama "La Mujer sin cabeza," and Pablo
Trapero with "Leonera," which is generating good buzz.
Patrick Frater and Ali Jaafar contributed to this report.
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
IN COMPETITION
"24 City," China, Jia Zhangke
"Adoration," Canada, Atom Egoyan
"Changeling," U.S., Clint Eastwood
"Che" ("The Argentine," "Guerrilla,") Spain, Steven Soderbergh
"Un Conte de noel," France, Arnaud Desplechin
"Daydreams," Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
"Delta," Germany-Hungary, Kornel Mundruczo
"Il Divo," Paolo Sorrentino, Italy
"Gomorra," Italy, Matteo Garrone
"La Frontiere de l'aube," France, Philippe Garrel
"Leonera," Argentina-South Korea, Pablo Trapero
"Linha de Passe," Brazil, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas
"La Mujer sin cabeza," Argentina, Lucrecia Martel
"My Magic," Singapore, Eric Khoo
"The Palermo Shooting," Germany, Wim Wenders
"Serbis," Philippines, Brillante Mendoza
"The Silence of Lorna," U.K.-France, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
"Synecdoche, New York," U.S., Charlie Kaufman
"Waltz With Bashir," Israel, Ari Folman
OUT OF COMPETITION
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," U.S., Steven Spielberg
"Kung Fu Panda," U.S., Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
"The Good, the Bad, the Weird," South Korea, Kim Jee-woon
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona," U.S.-Spain, Woody Allen
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
"Maradona," Spain-France, Emir Kusturica
"Surveillance," U.S., Jennifer Lynch
"The Chaser," South Korea, Na Hong-jin
SPECIAL SCREENNGS
"Ashes of Time Redux," China, Wong Kar Wai
"Of Time and the City," U.K., Terence Davies
"Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," U.S.-U.K., Marina Zenovich
"Sangue Pazzo" (Crazy Blood), Italy-France, Marco Tullio Giordana
SCREENING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE JURY
"The Third Wave," U.S., Alison Thompson
UN CERTAIN REGARD
"A festa da menina morta," Brazil, Matheus Nachtergaele
"Afterschool," U.S., Antonio Campos
"De Ofrivilliga," Sweden, Ruben Ostlund
"Je veux voir," France, Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige
"Johnny Mad Dog," France, Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
"La vie moderne (profiles paysans)", France, Raymond Depardon
"Los Bastardos," Mexico, Amat Escalante
"Milh handha al-bahr," (Salt of This Sea), Palestine, Annemarie Jacir
"O' Horten," Norway-Germany, Bent Hamer
"Soi Cowboy," U.K., Thomas Clay
"Tin Che," (Parking), Taiwan, Chung Mong-Hong
"Tokyo!," France-Japan, Bong Joon-ho, Michel Gondry, Leos Carax
"Tokyo Sonata," Japan, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
"Tulpan," Germany, Sergey Dvortsevoy
"Tyson," U.S., James Toback
"Versailles," France, Pierre Schoeller
"Wendy and Lucy," U.S., Kelly Reichardt
"Wolke 9" (Cloud Nine), Germany, Andreas Dresen
"Yi ban haishui, yi ban huoyan," China, Fendou Liu
CINEFONDATION
"Ba Yue Shi Wu," U.S., Jiang Xuan
"Blind Spot," France, Johanna Bessiere, Cecile Dubois Herry, Simon Rouby,
Nicolas Chauvelot, Olivier Clert, Yvon Jardel
"Et dans mon coeur, j'emporterai...," Belgium, Yoon Sung-A
"Forbach," France, Claire Burger
"Gata," Russia, Diana Lazarian
"Gestern in Eden," Germany, Jan Speckenbach
"Himnon" (Anthem), Israel, Elad Keidan
"Illusion Dwellers," U.K., Rob Ellender
"Interior. Scara de bloc," Romania, Ciprian Alexandrescu
"Kestomerkitsijat," Finland, Juho Kuosmanen
"The Maid," U.S., Heidi Saman
"Naus," Czech Republic, Lukas Glaser
"O Som E O Resto," Brazil, Andre Lavaquial
"El Reloj," Argentina, Marco Berger
"Shtika" (Silence), Israel, Hadar Morag
"Stop," South Korea, Park Jae-ok
"This Is a Story About Ted and Alice," U.S., Teressa Tunney
SHORTS IN COMPETITION
"411-Z," Hungary, Daniel Erdelyi
"Buen Viaje" (Bon Voyage), Javier Palleiro, Guillermo Rocamora
"De Moins en Moins," France, Melanie Laurent
"El Deseo" (The Desire), Mexico, Marie Benito
"Jerrycan," Australia, Julius Avery
"Love You More," U.K., Sam Taylor Wood
"Megatron," Romania, Marian Crisan
"My Rabbit Hoppy," Australia, Anthony Lucas
"Smafuglar," Iceland, Runar Runarsson