Why let a little thing like the collapse of the world’s economic structure interfere with a few weeks of sun, fun, and croissants on the Croisette? Yes, that’s right, pasty film critics and spray-tanned studio suits alike are getting ready to slather on the sunscreen as the 2009 Cannes Film Festival approaches. This year’s fest is set to debut on May 13 with the world premiere of what’s sure to be Pixar’s latest masterstroke of awesomeness, Up, and then will run through May 24. This year’s just-announced slate of films is particularly strong, led by the latest efforts from certified auteurs like Ang Lee (Taking Woodstock), Lars Von Trier (Antichrist), Jane Campion (Bright Star), and Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon), among others. And of course, Quentin Tarantino’s sure-to-be-crazed Inglourious Basterds is being rushed through the editing process to ensure that it will arrive on time to make its world premiere, although it’s looking likely that it won’t be ready until the tail end of the festival. But perhaps most interesting, Terry Gilliam’s troubled production of The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, featuring Heath Ledger’s last performance, has also secured a spot in the festival (albeit out of competition). Follow along for the complete list of films that will be screened this year.
OPENING NIGHT FILM:
Pixar’s Up - Dir: Pete Docter
COMPETITION:
Broken Embraces - Dir: Pedro Almodóvar
Fish Tank - Dir: Andrea Arnold
A Prophet - Dir: Jacques Audiard
Vincere - Dir: Marco Bellocchio
Bright Star - Dir: Jane Campion
In the Beginning - Dir: Xavier Giannoli
Map of the Sounds of Tokyo - Dir: Isabel Coixet
The White Ribbon - Dir: Michael Haneke
Taking Woodstock - Dir: Ang Lee
Looking for Eric - Dir: Ken Loach
Spring Fever - Dir: Lou Ye
Kinatay - Dir: Brillante Mendoza
Enter the Void - Dir: Gasper Noe
Thirst - Dir: Park Chan-wook
Les Herbes Foilles - Dir: Alain Resnais
The Time That Remains - Dir: Elia Suleiman
Inglourious Basterds - Dir: Quentin Tarantino
Vengeance - Dir: Johnnie To
Face - Dir: Tsai Ming-liang
Antichrist - Dir: Lars von Trier
UN CERTAIN REGARD:
Mother - Dir: Bong Joon-ho
Irene - Dir: Alain Cavalier
Precious - Dir: Lee Daniels
Demaine Des L’Aube - Dir: Denis Dercourt
Adrift - Dir: Heitor Dhalia
Nobody Knows About The Persian Cats - Dir: Bahman Ghobadi
The Wind Journeys - Dir: Ciro Guerra
Le Pere De Mes Enfants - Dir: Mia Hansen-Løve
Tale in the Darkness - Dir: Nikolay Khomeriki
Air Doll - Dir: Hirokazu Kore-Eda
Dogtooth - Dir: Giorgos Lanthimos
Tzar - Dir: Pavel Lounguine
Independence - Dir: Raya Martin
Police, Adjective - Dir: Corneliu Porumboiu
Nymph - Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
To Die Like a Man - Dir: João Pedro Rodrigues
Eyes Wide Open - Dir: Haim Tabakman
Samson & Delilah - Dir: Warwick Thornton
The Silent Army - Dir: Jean van de Velde
Tales From the Golden Age - Dir: Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Propescu, Ioanna Uricaru
OUT OF COMPETITION:
The Army of Crime - Dir: Robert Guédiguian
Agora - Dir: Alejandro Amenabar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Dir: Terry Gilliam
SPECIAL SCREENINGS:
Petition - Dir: Zhao Liang
L’epine Dans le Coeur - Dir: Michel Gondry
Min Ye - Dir: Souleymane Cissé
Jaffa - Dir: Keren Yedaya
Manila - Dir: Adolfo Alix Jr. and Raya Martin
My Neighbor, My Killer - Dir: Anne Aghion
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS:
A Town Called Panic - Dir: Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar
Ne Te Retourne Pas - Dir: Marina de Van
Drag Me to Hell - Dir: Sam Raimi
CLOSING NIGHT FILM:
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky - Dir: Jan Kounen
62nd Cannes Film Festival Official Selection Announced [First Showing]