from www.ctv.ca – Can the Cannes Film Festival top itself?
It will not be easy in 2010, not when the festival’s 2009 edition blew audiences away with such gems as “Up,” “The White Ribbon,” “Inglorious Basterds,” and “A Prophet.”
But the granddaddy of all film fests knows how to put on a good show.
Two huge Hollywood movies (Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” and Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street” sequel, “Money Never Sleeps”) open and close the 63rd Cannes Film Festival (May 12 – 23).
The official competition films spans 13 countries, among them France, Russia, Italy, Hungary, China and South Korea.
Previous winners such as the U.K. director Mike Leigh and Mexico’s Alejandro González Iñárritu will walk Cannes’ red carpet, as will up-and-comers like Canada’s Xavier Dolan.
Toss in a star jury headed by Tim Burton, A-listers like Sean Penn, Woody Allen’s latest (“You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”) and throngs of paparazzi and this bash on Cannes’ Croisette should keep diehard cinephiles entertained.
Film titans lead a varied international pack
Russia’s Nikita Mikhalkov tops this year’s official competition for the Palm d’Or.
Mikhalkov earned a towering reputation with his 1994 Stalinist drama, “Burnt By the Sun.” He brings “Burnt By the Sun 2,” his highly-anticipated sequel, to Cannes 2010.
Veteran French director Bertrand Tavernier returns for the first time since 1990 with his lavish period costume drama, “La Princesse de Montpensier.”
Javier Bardem headlines “Biutiful,” the latest from Mexican auteur director Alejandro González Iñárritu (“Amores Perros,” “Babel”). Bardem plays a police officer who confronts a childhood friend about his illegal dealings.
In the lush Tuscan flick “Certified Copy” (“Copie Conformé”), Iranian master film-maker Abbas Kiarostami showcases Juliette Binoche as a gallery owner whose life changes thanks to a British author (operatic baritone William Shinell).
Britain’s Mike Leigh, a Palme d’Or winner for “Secrets and Lies,” returns with “Another Year.” The ensemble comedy features Lesley Manville, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton and Phil Davis – all stars from Leigh’s unofficial repertory company.
But 2010’s most anticipated film comes from 79-year-old New Wave giant Jean-Luc Godard.
His new film, “Socialisme,” competes in the festival’s Un Certain Regard category.
Little is known about “Socialisme” other than it is set on a cruise ship sailing around the Mediterranean. It also involves a Russian detective, an aging war criminal and a politically-involved family with two children.
Godard’s secretive mix should keep tongues wagging. But so should Xavier Dolan’s latest, “Heartbeats” (“Les Amours Imaginaires”).
The 21-year-old Canuck swept prizes in the Directors Fortnight last year with his debut film, “I Killed My Mother” (“J’ai tué ma mère”).
Dolan’s “Heartbeats” makes its world premiere in Un Certain Regard.
The drama stars Dolan, Monia Chokin and Niels Schneider. It centres on two friends infatuated with the same person who will stop at nothing to win him over.
Cannes at a glance
Why Cannes counts: Since the 1960s Cannes has been the top dog of film festivals. But this glitzy event started in 1939. A group of Frenchman withdrew from the Venice Film festival that year, angered by the event’s politics. They returned to France and launched the granddaddy of glam movie festivals
Who goes: Some 30,000 film professionals are accredited each year, including 1,000 directors and 4,000 reporters. Toss in an army of networking producers hustling films and it is one big party on the Croisette even if no one sees a single movie.
Best celebrity spotting: You can’t do better than the red carpet staircase of the Palais des Festivals. Every A-lister enters and exits screenings here, tantalizing hungry paparazzi like Krispy Kreme doughnuts at a Weight Watchers convention.
A who’s who of winners: Many ace directors and actors have won the Palm d’Or, Cannes’ top prize. Past winners include Martin Scorcese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Federico Fellini. Ditto for stars like Bette Davis, Paul Newman and Sophia Loren.
What’s up with the porn stars? For every Hollywood titan cruising the Croisette you’ll find 10 times that number in porn stars doing the same thing. Why? Up until 2001, the Hot d’Or, the porn industry’s equivalent to Cannes, was held at the same time as the main festival. Bottom line: this is showbiz baby! Get out those heels and start strutting.