April 21, 2004

Cannes lineup.

cannes-logo.jpg There are at least three ways to take in the lineup for Cannes (May 12 - 23) unveiled in Paris today. By far the most amusing is Filmbrain's. Amusing but savvy, too; his choices of six highlights out of the total of 18 films in competition look pretty sharp from over here.

For the every-last-detail version, there's the official site itself; but for the clear-eyed and succinct overview, you'll want indieWIRE's, hands down.



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Posted by dwhudson at April 21, 2004 2:25 PM

Comments

is un certain regard different from the directors fortnight? do you know when will the line-up for the directors fortnight be released?

Posted by: Alexis Tioseco at April 22, 2004 3:52 AM

Hi, Alexis. They are indeed different programs; and I'm afraid I don't know when the lineup for the Fortnight will be announced. Maybe someone else will chime in, but in the meantime, we'll keep our eyes and ears open.

Posted by: David Hudson at April 22, 2004 6:21 AM

Hi David. Thanks for the info! A friend and filmmaker that I know, Lav Diaz, has two recommendations (one by a Fortnight programmer) for the Directors Fortnight of this years Cannes Film Festival for a work he is about to complete: a 9-hour film entitled EBOLUSYON NG ISANG PAMILYANG PILIPINO (EVOLUTION OF A FILIPINO FAMILY). The film spans the years 1971-1987; during and the few years after Ex-President Ferdinand Marcos' rule of Martial Law.

There are I believe 4 programmers for the Directors Fortnight, so I believe its acceptance would be pending approval of the other 3. Here's to hoping it makes it!

If you're curious about the director, an interview I conducted with him can be read here:
http://film.indiefilipino.com/item.php?id=54

His previous work was the 5-hour film BATANG WEST SIDE (WEST SIDE KID), that was set in New Jesrsey and dealt with the plight of the Filipino diaspora abroad.

Sorry this comment is so long. Thanks for your great work on GreenCine Daily!

Posted by: Alexis Tioseco at April 22, 2004 10:47 AM

Long comments are great! And thanks for the pointer, too... I'm definitely looking forward to diving into all this:

http://film.indiefilipino.com/

Definitely!

Posted by: David Hudson at April 22, 2004 12:59 PM

As FilmBrain pointed out, it's a bit...stunning to see SHREK 2 in the competition. Not that I didn't enjoy the heck out of the first one, and not that the sequel can't be good, too -- but, I mean, a sequel, a blockbuster cartoon sequel?? Not to sound snobby, but, wha...?

I'm excited about Tony Gatlif's new one; will be interested to see what sort of reaction Michael Moore's 9/11 film gets, and did anyone notice that African auteur Ousmane SEMBÈNE has a new film listed? This is really exciting. Faat Kiné was his last film (2000) and there's been nothing besides that in the last decade or so.

For those (most) of us who can't afford to actually go to Cannes, it's nice just to see what's coming out in the next year or so that may not be listed in Premiere. (Besides Shrek2 of course.)

Btw, I disagree with FilmBrain's unease about Edwidge Danticat's placement on the judging board -- she's only one of the world's finest writers. Maybe not a filmmaker, but incredibly smart. (Although, here's a trivia note: she had a bit part in "Beloved.")

C

Posted by: Craig P at April 22, 2004 1:27 PM

One other footnote to the list: Nearly every paper in Germany today had at least a small item on the fact that Weingartner's is the first German film to be in competition in Cannes in eleven years.

That long drought has been a source of friction for some time - Wenders in particular has campaigned for this or that film, to no avail - so the news that Thierry Fremaux himself mentioned this year's inclusion as "the great comeback for Germany" was generally welcomed all around in the press and even by Culture Minister Christina Weiss.

Posted by: David Hudson at April 22, 2004 2:56 PM