03/05/2007

With 16 (co-)productions, European cinema clearly dominates the programme of 23 features selected for the 39th Directors’ Fortnight, running from May 17-27 parallel to the 60th Cannes Film Festival.

Unveiled this afternoon in Paris by sidebar Artistic Director Olivier Père, the programme, smaller than last year’s, is dominated by six French features, by Gaël Morel (see news), Serge Bozon, Nicolas Klotz, Jacques Nolot, Mia Hansen-Löve and actress Sandrine Bonnaire, who will present a documentary on her autistic sister.

Other countries represented are Germany by Jan Bonny, Ireland by Lenny Abrahamson, the UK with Dutch director Anton Corbijn’s Control (see article), Spain with a Mexican co-production directed by Pedro Aguilera and Portugal with the collective film O Estado do mundo.

Greece also features with a co-production by Turkish helmer Semith Kaplanoglu and Spiros Stathoulopoulos’s feature debut (composed of a single take), a Colombian production.

Other titles in the running come from Lebanese directors, Danielle Arbid and Nadine Labaki, both majority French productions.

A total of nine titles will compete for the Caméra d’Or. This year’s Directors' Fortnight will showcase four US, three Asian and two South American features. Meanwhile, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Italy were left high and dry.

The themes of the films selected explore the depth and emotion of the most intimate human feelings and concentrate on the realism of its subjects (often inspired by daily events) and directing style.

Two comedies, a genre under-represented at the major festivals, from the US and Japan also feature in the Fortnight, which will be inaugurated by the traditional presentation of the SRF Carrosse d’Or award to Alain Cavalier, whose previous winners include Clint Eastwood, Nanni Moretti, Sembene Ousmane and David Cronenberg.

Features programme:

Opening film: Anton Corbijn - Control (GB-AU) *
Closing film: Sandra Kogut - Mutum (BR-FR) *
Gaël Morel - Après lui (FR)
Serge Bozon - France (FR)
Nicolas Klotz - Heartbeat Detector (FR)
Mia Hansen-Löve - Tout est pardonné (FR) *
Jacques Nolot - Avant que j’oublie (FR)
Sandrine Bonnaire - Elle s’appelle Sabine (FR) *
Pedro Aguilera - La Influencia [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (ES/MX) *
Jan Bonny - Gegenüber (DE) *
Lenny Abrahamson - Garage (IE)
Semith Kaplanoglu - Egg (TR/GR)
Danielle Arbid - A Lost Man (LB/FR)
Nadine Labaki - Caramel (LB/FR) *
Hitosi Matumoto - Dai Nipponjin (JP) *
Spiros Stathoulopoulos - PVC – 1 (CO) *
Tom Kalin - Savage Grace (ES/US/FR)
Ramin Bahrani - Chop Shop (US)
Robinson Devor - Zoo (US)
Gregg Araki - Smiley Face (US)
Pen-ek Ratanaruang - Ploy (TH)
Brillante Mendoza - Foster Child (PH)
Collective film by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Vincente Ferraz, Ayisha Abraham, Wang Bing, Pedro Costa and Chantal Akerman - O Estado do mundo (PT)

* in competition for the Caméra d’Or

Special Screening
William Friedkin - Cruising - restored version (US)

Shorts

Programme 1 Alternatives
F.J Ossang - Silencio (FR)
Pascal-Alex Vincent - Candy Boy (FR)
Velasco Broca - Avant pétalos grillados (ES)
Yann Gonzalez - Entracte (FR)
Joao Pedro Rodrigues and Joao Rui Guerra Da Mata - China, China (PT)

Programme 2 Features
Claudine Natkin - Même pas mort (FR)
Andrés Bais - Hoguera (CO)
Sylvie Ballot - Tel père, telle fille (FR)
Asaf Korman - Mota Shel Shula (IL)

Special Screening Tribute to Albert Lamorisse
Le ballon rouge
- restored version
Crin blanc - restored version

(Translated from French)