Once again, it’s that time of year. Unofficially considered the start of the awards season (because Berlin is so worthless *cough*A Separation*cough*), The Cannes Film Festival by way of Thierry Fremaux has decided to bestow upon up it’s initial line-up for the 2012 edition.
Of course a couple of titles were announced previously: Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom is the opening film, the late Claude Miller’s Therese D. will close proceedings and a fully restored Once Upon a Time in America will also screen.
Rivalling only Bryan Cranston for god-like powers, David Cronenberg took it upon himself to announce his film Cosmopolis would make it’s oft-rumoured bow at Cannes a day with the latest trailer, whereas once again Ken Loach films anything and makes it in for his 11th (!!!) Competition Entry.
The competition isn’t a safe place for newcomer’s this year; all 21 of the announced films have been helmed by prior nominees or winners at the festival, and the 6 that haven’t aren’t exactly directed by unknowns. In the latter category we have long awaited films from Andrew Dominik (Killing me Softly), his latest effort with Jesse James star Brad Pitt; Lawless, the constantly delayed prohibition era drama from John Hillcoat with Tom Hardy & Shia LeBouf; Jeff Nichol’s Take Shelter follow up with Michael Shannon, Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon and The Paperboy, Lee Daniel’s next film after Precious which not only features a SECOND showing at the fest for McConaughey but may also be one of my most anticipated films of the year. It just sounds so bizarre!
As well as the afore mentioned Cosmopolis featuring none other than Robert Pattinson (and Sarah Gadon… ah, Sarah Gadon) and Walter Salles’ adaptation of Kerouac’s On the Road featuring Kristen Stewart there’s ever reason to believe Cannes this year might get more attention from the younger, oestrogen filled crowd. While they may turn up for the wrong reasons, the line-up suggests that they might leave having grown from the experience.
Prior winners Michael Haneke, Cristian Mungui and Abbas Kiarostami return with their latest achievements in competition alongside Apichatpong Weerasethakul ’s Mekong Hotel in the Special Screening strand. The Un Certain Regard strand, led by Jury Head Tim Roth, often the place to find fresher/exciting works there’s the familiar mix of new and old names, most exciting for me being Xavier Dolan’s Laurence Anyways and Sundance Hit Beasts of the Southern Wild from debut director Benh Zeitlin. Of course, many eyes will be on Brandon Cronenberg’s debut feature Antiviral as a supplement to his dad’s work in the main strand and for completion there’s a Bertolucci in out-of-competition screenings nestled alongside Madagascar 3.
Rumours of a new Malick or PT Anderson proved unfounded but rest assured at least one of them will be unveiled by year’s end.
Anyway, enjoy the full list below:
In Competition
Amour, Michael Haneke
The Angels’ Share, Ken Loach
Baad el mawkeaa, Yousry Nasrallah
Beyond The Hills, Cristian Mungiu
Cosmopolis, David Cronenberg
Holy Motors, Leos Carax
The Hunt, Thomas Vinterberg
Killing Them Softly, Andrew Dominik
In Another Country, Hong Sang-soo
In the Fog, Sergei Loznitsa
Lawless, John Hillcoat
Like Someone in Love, Abbas Kiarostami
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson (opening night film)
Mud, Jeff Nichols
On the Road, Walter Salles
The Paperboy, Lee Daniels
Paradies: Liebe, Ulrich Seidl
Post Tenebras Lux, Carlos Reygadas
Reality, Matteo Garrone
Rust And Bone, Jacques Audiard
Taste Of Money, Im Sang-soo
You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet, Alain Resnais
Closing Night Film
Therese Desqueyroux, Claude Miller
Out of Competition
Hemingway & Gellhorn, Philip Kaufman
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon
Me And You, Bernardo Bertolucci
Un Certain Regard
7 Days in Havana, Benicio del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, Elia Suleiman, Juan Carlos Tabio, Gaspar Noe, Laurent Cantet
11.25 The Day He Chose His Own Fate, Koji Wakamatsu
Antiviral, Brandon Cronenberg
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin
Confession Of A Child Of The Century, Sylvie Verheyde
Despues De Lucia, Michel Franco
La Pirogue, Moussa Toure
La Playa, Juan Andres Arango
Laurence Anyways, Xavier Dolan
Le Grand Soir, Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kervern
Les Chevaux De Dieu, Nabil Ayouch
Loving Without Reason, Joachim Lafosse
Miss Lovely, Ashim Ahluwalia
Mystery, Lou Ye
Student, Darezhan Omirbayev
Trois Mondes, Catherine Corsini
White Elephant, Pablo Trapero
Midnight Screenings
Dracula 3D, Dario Argento
The Legend Of Love & Sincerity, Takashi Miike
Special Screenings
A Musica Segundo Tom Jobim, Nelson Pereira Dos Santos
The Central Park Five, Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
Der Mull Im Garten Eden, Fatih Akin
Journal De France, Claudine Nougaret, Raymond Depardon
Les Invisibles, Sebastien Lifshitz
Mekong Hotel, Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, Laurent Bouzereau
Villegas, Gonzalo Tobal
