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Cannes Film Festival 2010 Does the Obvious
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Sunday, 09 May 2010 03:16
- Written by Ron Dicker
The Cannes Film Festival / Le Festival de Cannes announcing its lineup always strikes me as the way we hear Charlie Brown's teacher: "Wah wah. Wah wah wah." We know she's talking, but we don't care so much about what she's actually saying. 
As we near the 63rd edition of the festival, running May 12 to 23, 2010, this becomes clearer to me: It doesn't really matter what Cannes chooses. Cannes is Cannes. With a few exceptions, Cannes makes the movies, not the other way around.
Cannes remains the only festival with that power. Founded in 1946, it is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious film festivals. It doesn't have the North American marketing muscle of Toronto or the indie veneer of Sundance. It has tradition. It has the French Riviera -- the Cote D'Azur. It has unrestrained snootiness. And it has a circus atmosphere that film reporters like me find irresistible. 
Most of the movies will never be viewed in the dark expanse of an American cinema. If you're a foreign movie buff, maybe you'll catch them when they arrive via Netflix. But when you watch them for the first time in the cinephile-saturated Palais des Festivals -- in the resort town of Cannes -- they seem like the most important movies ever. At least for the first few minutes.
Here's hoping to an entry with breakout power like last year's Inglourious Basterds. This year, Doug Liman's take on the Valerie Plame spy scandal, Fair Game, will at least have Sean Penn on hand to spice up the proceedings. It's the only U.S. entry in the Official Competition. And the President of the Jury is the American director Tim Burton. Yank this, Cannes.
The festival also reared its clubby side in choosing its original sweet 16. Returning for another stab at the prestigious Palme d'Or are:
Iranian Abbas Kiarostami with Certified Copy
Brit Mike Leigh with Another Year
Mexican-born Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu with Biutiful
Japan's Takeshi Kitano with the Yakuza shoot-em-up Outrage
For those of you keeping score, eight of the main entries have French ties, including Mathieu Amalric's Tournee and Xavier Beauvois's Of Gods and Men. Being on the home team has its privileges.
Most of the American studio presence got ushered aside like a paparazzo without a tux. Robin Hood, yet another Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe collaboration; Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps from director Oliver Stone, and Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger will all screen out of competition. At age 74, it's satisfying to see Allen still cranking them out.
But he's got nothing on Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, who's bringing The Strange Case of Angelica to the Un Certain Regard category. He's 102. That's 1-0-2. I plan to attend the press conference just to find out what vitamins this guy takes.
The Cannes Film Festival is organized in various sections:
The Official Selection - The main event of the festival:
• In Competition - The 20 films competing for the Palme d'Or. They are projected in the Théâtre Lumière.
• Un Certain Regard - 20 original, different films selected from cultures near and far. They are projected at the Salle Debussy.
• Out of Competition - These films are also projected in the Théâtre Lumière but do not compete for the main prize.
• Special Screenings - The selection committee chooses for these films an environment specially adapted to their particular identity.
• Cinéfondation - About 15 shorts and medium-length motion pictures from film schools over the world are presented at the Salle Buñuel.
• Short Films - The shorts competing for the Short Film Palme d'Or are presented at the Buñuel and Debussy theaters.
Parallel Sections - These are non-competitive programs dedicated to discovering other aspects of cinema:
• Cannes Classics - Celebrates the heritage of film, aiming to highlight works of the past, presented with brand new or restored prints.
• Tous les Cinémas du Monde - A showcase of world cinema. Each day, one country present features and shorts in celebration of its culture, identity and film works.
• Caméra d'Or - It rewards the best first film of the Fest, choosing from the Official Selection, the Directors' Fortnight and the International Critics' Week selections.
• Cinéma de la Plage - Screening of Cannes Classics and Out of Competition films for the public on Macé Beach, preceded by a program of film music.
Other Sections - Produced by outside organizations during the Cannes Festival:
• Directors' Fortnight
• International Critics' Week
Events
• Marché du Film - The busiest movie market of the world.
• Masterclasses - Given in public by world renowned filmmakers.
• Tributes - Honors internationally renowned artists with the presentation of the Festival Trophee following the screening of one of their films.
• Producers Network - An opportunity to make international co-productions.
• Exhibitions - Each year, an artist, a body of work or a cinematographic theme is the focus of an exhibition that diversifies or illustrates the event's program.
• 60th Anniversary - Events organized in 2007 dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Festival.
Juries
Prior to the beginning of each event, Cannes’ board of directors appoints juries who choose which films will receive an award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their work and respect from their peers:
• Feature Films - An international jury composed of a President and various film or art personalities , who determine the prizes for the feature films in Competition.
• Cinéfondation and Short Films - Composed of a President and four film personalities. It awards the Short Film Palme d'Or as well as its three best films.
• Un Certain Regard - Composed of a President, journalists, cinema students and industry professionals. It awards this Prize for best film and can honor two other films.
• Caméra d'Or - Composed of a President, as well as film directors, technicians and French and international critics. They reward the best first film in any selection.
Awards
• Palme d'Or - Golden Palm - The most prestigious award given for the best film.
• Grand Prix - Grand Prize of the Festival
• Prix du Jury - Jury Prize
• Palme d'Or du court métrage - Best Short Film
• Prix d'interprétation féminine - Best Actress
• Prix d'interprétation masculine - Best Actor
• Prix de la mise en scène - Best Director
• Prix du scénario - Best Screenplay
• Prix Un Certain Regard - Young talent, innovative and audacious works
• Cinéfondation prizes - Student films
• Caméra d'Or - Best first feature film
Given by Independent Entities
• Prix de la FIPRESCI - International Federation of Film Critics Prize
• Prix Vulcain - Awarded to a technical artist by the CST
• International Critics' Week Prizes
• Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
• Palm Dog, for best canine performance
For more info go to: http://www.festival-cannes.com/en.html
The Cannes Film Festival
the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Cannes, France
[general info courtesy of Wikipedia]
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