Hollywood heavyweights including Woody Allen, Oliver Stone and Doug Liman will compete with legendary filmmakers from across the globe when the 63rd Festival de Cannes kicks off its annual Riviera rendez-vous on May 12th, the fest's artistic director Thierry Fremaux announced Thursday at a press conference in Paris.
While many of the U.S. titles are studio films showing Out Of Competition, after last year's Hollywood-light lineup, stars and stripes will be in the spotlight this year as some of America's top filmmaking talents screen their latest projects for the Cannes crowds.
The Competition will feature 16 films from 13 countries, including two countries In Competition for the first time ever. 46 features had been chosen as of Thursday's conference, with "six or seven more" to come in the coming days, Fremaux told journalists at the conference held at the luxe Parisian Grand Hotel
A fitting title for the festival that never sleeps is Oliver Stone's highly anticipated "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps." Michael Douglas stars in his iconic Gordon Gekko role alongside Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin and Carey Mulligan. Fox recently pushed the film's release date from April 23 to Sept 24 to keep it in the running for the Cannes lineup. The film will screen Out of Competition during the first weekend of the fest.
Woody Allen will be back at the Palais theater after a successful Riviera run with "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" with his latest London-based film "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" Out of Competition. The Sony Classics title's all-star cast includes Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts and Freida Pinto. The director will be back in France this summer to shoot his as yet untitled Paris summer project starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard and France's first lady Carla Bruni.
As previously announced, Ridley's Scott's "Robin Hood" will open the festival on May 12.
Bilingual actress Kristin Scott Thomas will emcee the opening and closing night ceremonies.
The red carpets won't be lacking famous faces. Former Jury president Sean Penn will be back on the Palais red carpet steps for Doug Liman's "Fair Game" a drama about the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, played by Naomi Watts, who also be doing double duty with Allen's "Stranger."
Penn may or may not also be heading to Cannes for Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life" which isn't yet completed, but may be in time for the festival.
"Terrence Malick's film isn't ready yet," Fremaux said, but added "We're crossing our fingers."
Young American director Gregg Araki will follow up his 2007 Director's Fortnight stoner comedy "Smiley Face" with his latest film "Kaboom" about the sexual awakening of a group of college students that will premiere as a Midnight Screening. French director Gilles Marchand's "L'Autre Monde" will also screen at Midnight out of Competition.
Other highlights of the Un Certain Regard section include 102 year-old director Manuel de Oliviera's "Angelica" and Canadian director Xavier Dolan's "Les Amours Imaginaires."
Romanian director Cristi Puiu will enter the category with "Aurora." Puiu's "The Death of Mr Lazarescu" won the Un Certain Regard prize in 2005.
Hong Sang Soo from Korea will present "Ha ha ha" in that category.
Palme d'Or-winner Abbas Kiarostami will be back in competition with "The Certified Copy," which stars the face of this year's Festival de Cannes poster, French actress Juliette Binoche.
Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is hoping critics will find his latest film "Biutiful" beautiful when the Spanish-language film starring Javier Bardem screens In Competition.
Also In Competition is "La nostra vita," from Italy's Daniele Luchetti. Russia will be well-represented in the Competition with two titles from Sergei Loznitsa's "You, My Joy" and Nikita Mikhalkov's "Utomlyonnye Solntsem 2." Hard-to-pronounce titles are ubiquitous in Competition this year with Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "Loong Boonmee Raleuk Chaat" also selected.
There will also be a British accent to the lineup with U.K. titles set to include Mike Leigh's "Another Year" starring Jim Broadbent and Imelda Staunton and Stephen Frears' just-in-time-for-Cannes "Tamara Drewe," an adaptation of the Posy Simmonds graphic novel starring rapidly rising star Gemma Arterton in the title role.
Fremaux and his selection team usually pick the French titles last and arriving fashionably late to this year's lineup are Xavier Beauvois' Monk-centric drama "Of Gods and Men" will also screen In Competition. The film is set at a monastery in the Maghreb mountains during the 1990s and stars Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale and Roschdy Zem.
French actor Mathieu Amalric, a familiar face in front of the camera, will show off his latest turn behind the scenes with "Tournee."
Filmmaking legend Bertrand Tavernier will enter the competition with his period piece "La Princesse de Montpensier" starring this year's Cesar-winner for most promising actress Melanie Thierry as the 16th-century heroine.
Franco-Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb will follow up his 2006 Cannes hit "Days of Glory" with "Outside the Law."
While this year's selection is lacking in Asian flair, Japanese director Takeshi Kitano will premiere his thriller "Outrage" and South Korean director Lee Chang-dong will bring his drama "Poetry" to the Competition. Korean director Im Sang-Soo will enter the Competition with remake "Housemaid."
Set to join Jury president Tim Burton in Cannes Wonderland are British actress Kate Beckinsale, Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro, French writer-screenwriter-director and former film critic Emmanuel Carrere, Indian director-actor-producer Shekhar Kapur, Spanish director Victor Erice, Director of Italy's National Cinema Museum Alberto Barbera and Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno.
Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan will preside over the Cinefondation Jury alongside French actress Emmanuelle Devos, Russian actress Dinara Droukarova, Brazilian director Carlos Diegues and Spanish director Marc Recha.
Claire Denis was named president of the Un Certain Regard Jury and Gael Garcia Bernal will head up the Camera d'Or Jury.
Despite a boycott from international news agencies Reuters, Getty Images, the AFP and AP due to restrictions imposed on their 2010 fest coverage, the press conference ran according to tradition. The agencies may be forced to suspend their coverage of the festival next month if they can't reach an agreement with fest organizers, who are honoring video exclusivity contracts with festival media sponsors Canal Plus and Orange.
"The Festival is trying to act as a go-between and defend the interests of the agencies to our partners," Fremaux said, addressing the issue after announcing the lineup.
He added; "There is no question that we won't do everything possible so that the boycott doesn't exist at Cannes. The Festival is not trying to make a public event private and prevent the public from accessing the event. We're going to try to do everything possible to find a solution."
The Festival de Cannes runs May 12-23 in Cannes.
IN COMPETITION
"Another Year," U.K., Mike Leigh
"Biutiful," Spain-Mexico, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
"Burnt by the Sun 2," Germany-France-Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov
"Certified Copy," France-Italy-Iran, Abbas Kiarostami
"Fair Game," U.S., Doug Liman
"Hors-la-loi," France-Belgium-Algeria, Rachid Bouchareb
"The Housemaid," South Korea, Im Sang-soo
"La nostra vita," Italy-France, Daniele Luchetti
"La Princesse de Montpensier," France, Bertrand Tavernier
"Of Gods and Men," France, Xavier Beauvois
"Outrage," Japan, Takeshi Kitano
"Poetry," South Korea, Lee Chang-dong
"A Screaming Man," France-Belgium-Chad, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
"Tournee," France, Mathieu Amalric
"Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives," Spain-Thailand-Germany-U.K.-France, Apichatpong Weerasethakul
"You, My Joy," Ukraine-Germany, Sergey Loznitsa
UN CERTAIN REGARD
"Adrienn Pal," Hungary-Netherlands-France-Austria, Agnes Kocsis
"Aurora," Romania, Cristi Puiu
"Blue Valentine," U.S., Derek Cianfrance
"Chatroom," U.K., Hideo Nakata
"Chongqing Blues," China, Wang Xiaoshuai
"The City Below," Germany-France, Christoph Hochhausler
"Ha Ha Ha," South Korea, Hong Sang-soo
"Les Amours imaginaires," Canada, Xavier Dolan
"Life Above All," France, Oliver Schmitz
"Los labios," Argentina, Ivan Fund, Santiago Loza
"Octubre," Peru, Daniel Vega
"Qu'est-il arrive a Simon Werner?," France, Fabrice Gobert
"Rebecca H.," France, Lodge Kerrigan
"R U There," Taiwan, David Verbeek
"The Strange Case of Angelica," Portugal, Manoel de Oliveira
"Tuesday, After Christmas," Romania, Radu Muntean
"Udaan," India, Vikramaditya Motwane
OUT OF COMPETITION
"Robin Hood," U.S.-U.K., Ridley Scott
"Tamara Drewe," U.K., Stephen Frears
"Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," U.S., Oliver Stone
"You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger," U.K.-Spain, Woody Allen
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
"Kaboom," U.S.-France, Gregg Araki
"L'autre monde," France, Gilles Marchand
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
"Abel," Mexico, Diego Luna
"Chantrapas," France, Otar Iosseliani
"Draquila — L'Italia che trema," Italy, Sabina Guzzanti
"Inside Job," U.S., Charles Ferguson
"Nostalgia de la luz," France, Patricio Guzman
"Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow," Netherlands, Sophie Fiennes
COMPETITION JURY?
Tim Burton, president?
Alberto Barbera?
Kate Beckinsale?
Emmanuel Carre?
Benicio Del Toro?
Victor Erice?
Shekhar Kapur?
Giovanna Mezzogiorno
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