2007 Cannes Film Festival Lineup

The line up for the renowned Cannes Film Festival has just been announced.

2007 will be the 60th year of the Festival de Cannes, possibly the most sought after film festival award in the world. The festival sees hundreds of celebrities descend on the little Mediterranean town located in the south of France each year.

The 2007 Cannes Film Festival will begin on May 16.

The opening film of the competition will be 'My Blueberry Nights', directed by Wong Kar-wai. This will be the first film that Chinese director Wong Kar-wai has directed that is in English. The film stars Norah Jones. Up until now Norah Jones is best known for her singing. This will be the first time she appears on the big screen. The film focuses on a woman discovering herself as she travels around the United States. Besides staring one name that is new to the big screen, 'My Blueberry Nights' also includes some big names. These are Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and Jude Law.

In the out of competition category there is a definite touch of Hollywood glitz and glamour. One of the four out of competition films lined up is 'Ocean's 13'. The Hollywood blockbuster stars some of the hottest actors in tinsel town George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino and Matt Damon.

The other out of competition films are 'Sicko' directed by Michael Moore and 'A Mighty Heart' directed by Michael Winterbottom. The out of competition closing film was set to be 'The Age of Darkness' directed by Denys Arcand but now the director has taken the film out of the Cannes Film Festival. The reason given is that postproduction delays are preventing the film from getting finished in time. The delays were apparently caused by shoulder surgery Denys Arcand received in the winter.

The legendary Coen Brothers has secured with their film, 'No Country for Old Men'. Quentin Tarantino will also be included in the competition with his film 'Death Proof'.

Other competition films include: 'An Old Mistress' by Catherine Breillat; 'Zodiac' by David Fincher; 'The Man From London' by Bela Tarr; 'Paranoid Park' by Gus Van Sant and 'Secret Sunshine' by Lee Chang-Dong make up just a few of the excellent Cannes Film Festival selections.

The Cannes Film Festival begins on May 16 and runs until May 27. This years jury president is Stephen Frears.

Film fans in the US will get the chance to watch the Cannes Film Festival opening and closing ceremonies on TV. The ceremonies are going to be aired on TV5MONDE USA. The opening ceremony coverage will begin on May 16 at 12:25 pm eastern standard time.

Sources
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2007/04/18/arcand-film-cannes.html
http://www.businessofcinema.com/?file=story&id=3138
http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=31965&Category=
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6570877.stm