Cannes, fests, events, 5/15.

Jeffrey Wells talks with Alejandro González Iñárritu about his Cannes entry, Babel.

You won't be surprised to learn that a Palme d'Or doesn't hold much sway at the US box office, but John Anderson looks up the numbers anyway for the New York Times. Anthony Kaufman argues he's reading those numbers all wrong and David Poland takes another look at them from a different angle and concludes, "The truth is, Cannes has become far worse than Sundance in terms of selling out." Eugene Hernandez takes a quick break from packing his bags to defend the fest, while, in an earlier entry, Anthony Kaufman writes, "As my conflicting duties covering the fest for indieWIRE and the [Wall Street] Journal, I will be a living embodiment of Cannes's art-commerce contradiction. If I have any self-respect, I will do my best to find the right balance."

A DVD box set of Norman McLaren's animated work will appear in France, then Canada, following a retrospective in Cannes, reports the Globe and Mail. Also via They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?, Galina Stolyarova's piece in the St Petersburg Times on an exhibition during the fest of 40 erotic drawings by Eisenstein.

Jason Solomons notes in the Guardian that "the jury will be starrier than most of the film casts heading up the steps" before offering a "Rough Guide to Cannes." Also, Punk Cinema's taking The Gigolos and their hopes are up, and Sean O'Hagan talks with Paul Laverty, the screenwriter behind Ken Loach's Cannes entry, The Wind that Shakes the Barley.

The Independent runs another guide, this one from Jonathan Romney.

Michael Guillen previews another entry in the SF Docfest: "There have been over 75 Palestinian suicide bombings since the renewed Intifada began in September of 2000. Diameter of the Bomb tells the story of one: the bombing of Bus 32A in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem on June 18, 2002, which killed 20 people (including the bomber) and injured 50 more."

Ed Gonzalez adds a bit to Slant's B Noir feature, previewing seven film in the series running through mid-June at Film Forum.

The Reeler: "BAM's Sundance shorts series unspools one final time Tuesday night at 9:30, and I will say it again: There is really not a stinker in the bunch."

Brian Brooks previews NewFest (June 1 through 11) for indieWIRE.

New York's David Edelstein recounts what it was like to be a juror for Tribeca's New York Loves Film Documentary Feature competition.

SXSWclick!, "reated to showcase short-form storytelling via mobile devices and the web," is calling for entries. Matt Dentler 's got details.

Posted by dwhudson at May 15, 2006 7:59 AM