23/04/2012 - French director Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Belgian director David Lambert, Spanish director Antonio Méndez Esparza, and Bulgarian director Ilian Metev will compete this year. Sandrine Bonnaire, Alice Winocour, and Rufus Norris will star in special screenings.

Four filmmakers from the Old Continent will compete this year at the 51st Critics’ Week from May 17 to 25 as part of the 65th Cannes Film Festival. At a press conference last night, new artistic director Charles Tesson revealed the Week's programme, to feature seven European productions and co-productions among the ten feature films to be screened.

Among those competing for the Week’s Grand Prix, there are Au galop by Frenchman Louis-Do de Lencquesaing (read more) and Beyond the Walls [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: David Lambert
film profile] by Belgian director David Lambert (read more and watch the making of), co-produced by Belgium, France and Canada. Then there is Sofia’s Last Ambulance , the documentary by Bulgarian filmmaker Ilian Metev co-produced by Germany, Croatia, and Bulgaria, and Aquí y allá by Spanish filmmaker Antonio de Méndez Esparza, co-produced by Spain, the United States, and Mexico. French production company Bizibi co-produced Les Voisins de Dieu by Israeli filmmaker Meni Yaesh. The rest of the films in competition, this year only first features, include one Argentinian and one Indian film.

In the special screenings section, three European productions will be shown including Broken by British director Rufus Norris, a film that will open the Critics’ Week, Augustine [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by French director Alice Winocour (article - starring Vincent Lindon) and Maddened by his Absence [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by her fellow-countrywoman Sandrine Bonnaire (article), starring William Hurt in this co-production bringing together France, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Feature films in competition
Au galop - Louis-Do de Lencquesaing (FR) First feature
Beyond the Walls - David Lambert (BE/FR/CA) First feature
Sofia’s Last Ambulance - Ilian Metev (DE/HR/BG) First feature
Aquí y allá - Antonio de Méndez Esparza (ES/US/MX) First feature
Los Salvajes - Alejandro Fadel (AR) First feature
Les Voisins de Dieu - Meni Yaesh (IL/FR) First feature
Peddlers - Vasan Bala (IN) First feature

Special screenings – Feature films
Opening : Broken - Rufus Norris (UK) First feature
Augustine - Alice Winocour (FR) First feature
Maddened by his Absence - Sandrine Bonnaire (FR/BE/LU) Second feature

Short and medium-length films in competition
Family Dinner - Stefan Constantinescu (SE)
Horizon - Paul Negoescu (RO)
The Dickslap - Jean-Baptiste Saurel (FR)
It’s not a Cowboys Movie - Benjamin Parent (FR)
Red River, Song Hong - Stéphanie Lansaque and François Leroy (FR)
A Sunday Morning - Damien Manivel (FR)
Yeguas y cotorras - Natalia Garagiola (AR)
O Duplo - Juliana Rojas (BR)
Hazara - Shay Levi (IL)
Circle Line - Shin Suwon (KR)

(Translated from French)