Rumors had spread already for a few weeks giving a strong French presence and some new exciting names for the 61st Cannes film festival. Which one were true? The traditional press conference, held wednesday in Paris, announced a program in which everybody will find his pleasure ; and if it’s far from changing the festival identity, there are films and auteurs here that contribute to give it some fresh air.
Woody Allen’s Vicky Christina Barcelona, shot in Spain with Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem, should open the party. Out of competition, there will also be Spielberg’s fourth episode of Indiana Jones, Emir Kusturica’s documentary about Maradona, another one on Mike Tyson and Kung-Fu Panda, latest Dreamworks animation by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson. Abel Ferrara will also present his documentary Chelsea Hotel in a special screening.
Twenty directors will compete from May 14 through May 25 and will be judged by a jury led by Sean Penn and gathering (for the moment) Sergio Castellito, Natalie Portman, Alfonso Cuaron, Rachid Bouchareb, Alexandra Laria and Apichatpong Weerasethakul: Clint Eastwood (Changeling), Jia Zhang-ke (24 City), Steven Soderbergh (Che, about Guevara), Wim Wenders (The Palermo Shooting), the Dardenne brothers (Lorna’s Silence), Atom Egoyan (Adoration), Nuri Bilge Ceylan (The Three Monkeys).
With Eric Khoo (My Magic) or Brillante Mendoza (Serbis), the festival has noted the Directors’ Fortnight importance in bringing the best new directors to the front of the scene (the program will be announced today: one of its main events, beside the 40th anniversary and the tribute to Jim Jarmusch, will be the screening of a 5-hour long film by a 24-year-old director from the Philippines, Raya Martin, with Now Showing)
With Waltz With Bashir by the Israelian Ari Folman, an « animated documentary » about Sabra and Chatila massacre, the official selection tries, maybe, to reiterate the success of Persepolis in 2007. French cinema will be represented by Arnaud Desplechin’s Un Conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale), Philippe Garrel’s La Frontière de l’aube (The Dawn frontier) and a third director whose name will be announced soon, said Thierry Fremaux. Will also be in the competition: Charlie Kaufman, Lucrecia Martel, Walter Salles, Pablo Trapero, Paolo Sorrentino, and in the alternative section Un Certain Regard, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Raymond Depardon, Kelly Reichardt or Bong Joon-ho, Leos Carax and Michel Gondry for a three-headed film called Tokyo!
Besides, we already knew that Max Ophuls’ Lola Montès would open Cannes Classics selection ; and that Quentin Tarantino will be giving this year the traditionnal master class, after launching the rocket Death Proof in last year’s competition.

Bastien Hader