The complete Cannes line-up is expected to be finalized over the coming days, and perhaps by the end of today, but a pair of films have just been added to the list including French film director Olivier Assayas’s crime drama Carlos telling the story of Venezuelan revolutionary/terrorist, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (a.ka. Carlos the Jackal) played by Edgar Ramirez (The Bourne Ultimatum and Che). The film was expected by most to be included In Competition considering Assayas is a three-time Golden Palm nominee with Clean (2004), Demonlover (2002) and Sentimental Destinies (2000). His last film, Summer Hours, comes out on Criterion Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow.
Carlos wasn’t on the initial list of named films, and is not included In Competition, but instead will be screened Out of Competition, due to the fact it is reportedly set to play on French cable network Canal+ and the Cannes committee didn’t want what appears to be a “TV movie” screening In Competition. The film is set to be shown on television in three parts as it has a running time of five-and-a-half-hours and will be cut down for American audiences by domestic distributor IFC. The Playlist has further discussion relating to the controversy.
Also, the Festival de Cannes announced Brazilian director Carlos Diegues’s 5XFavela will be presented in the Special Screening. The film appears to be a Brazilian social commentary shot in five parts, each totalling 20 minutes. The film’s official site (translated through Google) describes it as five features “shot on film and finished digitally, written, directed and performed entirely by young filmmakers living in slums, on different aspects of life in their communities. The five organizations and communities are the CUFA (in City of God), the Nos do Morro (in Vidigal), the Observatorio de Favelas (in the Complexo da Maré), the AfroReggae (in Parada de Lucas) and the Citadel / Cool Cinema ( based in Lapa, joining residents of several communities of the Yellow Line).”
Films that remain presumed to be headed for a slot at the festival include Bela Tarr’s The Turin Horse, Kornel Mundruczo’s The Frankenstein Project, Pablo Trapero’s Carancho, Daniele Luchetti’s La nostra vita and the one I am really hoping makes it in, Susanne Bier’s The Revenge.
Stay tuned, I’ll have updates when available.
