Festival de Cannes 2009
Posted by dorothy.pranolo@vimooz.com on May 13, 2009 under Film Festival, Premiere | 
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May 13th, 2009 – The hustle and bustle of cinephiles everywhere. The sight of the film industry’s finest suited up in tuxedos and luxurious gowns on the red carpet. The noisy click of flashes going off within thousands of cameras. All of these elements combined with the soft ocean breeze of the French Riviera in the background can only equate to one thing: the worlds most popular and infamous film festival.
Today marks the opening of the 62nd Annual Cannes Film Festival.
The official selection for this year’s lineup brings about various components of both old and new for audiences. Commencement of Cannes begins with a surprising and considerably out of the ordinary choice. The festival opens up with a screening of Disney-Pixar’s new animated 3-D film “Up,” marking the first time an animated or 3-D film has ever opened up the illustrious festival. However, “Up” will not be included in Cannes’ main competition.
Of the 20 films set to contend for the Palme d’Or, this year’s selection lineup unveils an ever-expanding global and cultural hybridity showcased by the film industry’s leading auteurs. Internationally, 2009 Cannes’ competing films hail from such countries as Austria, Spain, Hong Kong, Italy, France, and Belgium (to name a few). Another engaging aspect of this year’s festival is the myriad of top directors behind the films vying for the Palme d’Or – four of which happen to be previous winners of the prestigious award. The 62nd edition of Cannes brings forth many seasoned veterans and frequent regulars of the festival to candidacy. Former winner Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) enters this year’s competition with his WWII epic “Inglourious Basterds,” while recent 2006 winner Ken Loach exhibits his football film “Looking for Eric” in the main competition. Other films that are confirmed for contention include Pedro Almodóvar’s Spanish drama “Los Abrazos Rotos,” Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock,” Michael Haneke’s “Das Weisse Band,” and many other gems from leading directors within the realm of independent cinema.
Featured out of competition is a melting-pot of films also from new and old talents. Highlighted to premiere in the Special Screening category are such films as: Anne Aghion’s human rights documentary “My Neighbor, My Killer,” French actress Fanny Ardant’s first directorial feature film, entitled “Cendres et Sang,” and Michel Gondry’s new documentary film “L’epine Dans le Coeur,” focusing on Gondry’s own personal experiences and revelations with his family. Meanwhile, the category of Un Certain Regard holds such films as Russian director Nikolay Khomeriki’s drama “Tale In The Darkness,” and “Nang Mai,” a new production hailing from Thailand by director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.
From Korean director Park Chan-Wook’s supernatural thriller “Thirst” to Pierre-William Glenn’s motorcycle racing film “Portrait de Groupe Avec Enfants et Motocyclettes,” 2009’s competing selections present a hodgepodge of impeccable talent and cosmopolitan culture within the festival.
This year’s festival also features many global talents in its 2009 jury. French actress Isabelle Huppert (known for her award-winning role in La Cérémonie) acts as President of the Jury for Cannes’ 62nd anniversary. She is joined by Asia Argento, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Lee Chang-Dong, James Gray, Hanif Kureishi, Shu Qi, Robin Wright Penn, and Sharmila Tagore as the official jury for Cannes’ 2009 international feature film competition.
The 2009 Cannes Film Festival will be held from Wednesday May 13th until Sunday May 24th.
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