Movie stars setting course for Cannes
PARIS - Agence-France Presse
In this file photo taken May 23, 2010, actress Salma Hayek arrives for the awards ceremony at the 63rd international film festival, in Cannes, southern France. AP Photo
Arthouse directors and Hollywood royalty will converge in the French Riviera for two weeks on May 16 as the Cannes Film Festival rolls out the red carpet for movie giants and mavericks.David Cronenberg, Ken Loach and Michael Haneke are among the 22 international film-makers vying for the Palme d’Or award at the 65th anniversary edition of the leading world cinema showcase, which runs from May 16 to 27.
Star-wise, the 2012 line-up promises to dazzle with Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Kylie Minogue, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Brad Pitt as just a few of the A-listers expected to be spotted around town.
“Cannes is still the place to be if you’re in the movie world,” said Thierry Fremaux, the festival’s general delegate who cherry-picked the official selection for the Palme d’Or contenders along with 17 films in the new talent section, “Un Certain Regard,” from almost 1,800 entries.
Past Palme d’Or-winner Nanni Moretti of Italy heads up the nine person jury, which also includes actor Ewan McGregor and fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, while the jury to select the winning film for the “Un Certain Regard” award is being chaired by British actor-director Tim Roth.
American director Wes Anderson will strike a joyous keynote with the opening film “Moonrise Kingdom”, a pre-teen elopement story whose star-packed cast includes Bruce Willis as a small-town cop.
American stories loom large throughout the line-up, although they are sometimes told by foreign directors, with many films being billed as bridging the gap between studio blockbusters and offbeat indie flicks.
“There used to be a culture of mainstream auteur cinema, of grown-up auteur cinema,” Fremaux said. “That’s the cinema we should be seeing again this year.” In the running fro Cannes gold this year are two American films, Lee Daniels’ keenly awaited “The Paperboy”, the tale of a reporter investigating a death-row case, and Jeff Nichols surprise entry “Mud,” which is about two teenage boys and a fugitive.
Canada’s Cronenberg brings the Manhattan thriller “Cosmopolis,” adapted from Don DeLillo’s novel and starring Robert Pattinson as a billionaire asset manager journeying through the city in a stretch limo.
In a quirky twist, Cronenberg’s son Brandon will be in Cannes too, showing his debut “Antiviral” in “Un Certain Regard” category.
