Cannes Unveils Their Directors’ Fortnight Selections

The Cannes Film Festival unveiled their Directors’ Fortnight selections at a press conference early this morning in Paris and I am going to need any help you can offer sorting through this list of names as Fortnight artistic director Frederic Boyer was quoted saying, “Films by well-known directors don’t interest us as much. The Quinzaine’s purpose is to discover new talent. I’m more interested in filmmakers that have never been seen before, in those that come from underrepresented regions like Africa, which will be present this year in a rare short from Zambia.”

I can understand his stance and laugh when I read Jordan Mintzer’s opening line at Variety declaring this year’s Cannes selection was a “snubbing of U.S. fare by Cannes’ Official Selection.” What good is an international film festival if it’s filled with domestic schlock and Hollywood fare? What exactly was Mintzer expecting to get in that was snubbed?

Two U.S. feature films did make it into the Fortnight selection with Cam Archer’s Shit Year (see what us Americans bring to the table) which stars Ellen Barkin and Alistair Banks Griffin’s Two Gates of Sleep.

So take a look at the list below and tell me if you recognize anyone. Right now I am going to have to wait until the press pack arrives to see what catches my eye because I don’t recognize a single name. The Directors’ Fortnight runs from May 13-23.

DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT

  • All Good Children (U.K.) [dir. Alicia Duffy]
  • Benda Bilili! (France) [dir. Renaud Barret) [dir. Florent de la Tullaye] (Opening Film)
  • Cleveland vs. Wall Street (Switzerland-France) [dir. Jean-Stephane Bron]
  • Des filles en noir (France) [dir. Jean-Paul Civeyrac]
  • Everything Will Be Fine (Denmark-Sweden-France) [dir. Christoffer Boe]
  • Illegal (Belgium-Luxembourg-France) [dir. Olivier Masset-Depasse]
  • The Invisible Eye (Argentina-France-Spain) [dir. Diego Lerman]
  • Joy (Brazil) [dir. Marina Meliande) [dir. Felipe Braganca]
  • Le quattro volte (Italy-Germany-Switzerland) [dir. Michelangelo Frammartino]
  • Leap Year (Mexico) [dir. Michael Rowe]
  • The Light Thief (Kyrgyzstan) [dir. Aktan Arym Kubat]
  • Lily Sometimes (France) [dir. Fabienne Berthaud] (Closing Film)
  • Little Baby Jesus of Flanders (Belgium) [dir. Gust Vandenberghe]
  • Love Like Poison (France) [dir. Katell Quillevere]
  • Picco (Germany) [dir. Philip Koch]
  • Shit Year (U.S.) [dir. Cam Archer]
  • The Silent House (Uruguay) [dir. Gustavo Hernandez]
  • Tiger Factory (Malaysia) [dir. Woo Ming-jin]
  • Todos vos sodes capitans (Morocco-Spain) [dir. Oliver Laxe]
  • Two Gates of Sleep (U.S.) [dir. Alistair Banks Griffin]
  • The Wanderer (Israel) [dir. Avishai Sivan]
  • We Are What We Are (Mexico) [dir. Jorge Michel Grau]

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

  • Boxing Gym (U.S.) [dir. Frederick Wiseman]
  • Stones in Exile (U.K.) [dir. Stephen Kijak]

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

  • Licht (Netherlands) [dir. Andre Schreuders]
  • Quest (Romania) [dir. Ionut Piturescu]
  • Mary Last Seen (U.S.) [dir. Sean Durkin]
  • Petit tailleuer (France) [dir. Louis Garrel]
  • Shadows of Silence (France) [dir. Pradeepan Raveendra]
  • Shikasha (Japan) [dir. Hirabayashi Isamu]
  • A Silent Child (Sweden) [dir. Jesper Klevenas]
  • Tre ore (Italy) [dir. Annarita Zambrano]
  • Zed Crew (Zambia) [dir. Noah Pink]

Movie News

Marvel and DC

X