05/11/2009

This evening, Wes Anderson's animated, out-of-competition film Fantastic Mr Fox will open the 2009 edition of the Estoril Film Festival (November 5-14). It's an American kick-off for a festival screening 12 European films in official competition.

Most of the 12 titles have previously been seen in international showcases, including Yorgos Lanthimos’Dogtooth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile], Alain Guiraudie's Le Roi de L'évasion [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Corneliu Porumboiu's Police, Adjective [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Corneliu Porumboiu
film profile], Riad Sattouf's Les Beaux GossesLa Famille Wolber [+see also:
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film profile] [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], and Kamen Kalev’s 2009 LUX Prize contender Eastern Plays [+see also:
film review
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interview: Kamen Kalev
film profile]; all of them part of the line-up of the latest Cannes Film Festival.

The official programme also includes Sundance contender Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Duncan Jones, Berlin title The Girl [+see also:
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interview: Fredrik Edfeldt
film profile] by Fredrick Edfeldt and Marc Recha's Little Indi [+see also:
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film profile], which was part of the latest Locarno Film Festival.

The competition line-up is completed with the Romanian title First of All, Felicia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Melissa de Raaf and Razvan …
film profile] by the duo Melissa De Raff and Razvan Radulescu; Russian film Room and a Half by Audrey Khrzhanovsky; and the only Portuguese film in competition, Duas Mulheres, by veteran director João Mário Grilo.

A tempting selection of out-of-competition titles includes Lars von Trier's sex and horror tale Antichrist [+see also:
film review
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interview: Lars von Trier
film profile]; Michael Haneke's peculiar view on the roots of Nazism, The White Ribbon [+see also:
film review
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interview: Michael Haneke
film profile]; Jane Campion's biopic of poet John Keats, Bright Star [+see also:
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film profile]; Jacques Audiard's acclaimed prison drama A Prophet [+see also:
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interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile]; the world premiere of Os Sorrisos do Destino; by Portuguese director Fernando Lopes; and the much-awaited Tetro [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which will be presented by its director, Francis Ford Coppola.

Estoril is also hosting retrospective on the career of Juliette Binoche, who will meet the audience in two Q&As; a tribute 85-year-old photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank; and a tribute to Canadian director David Cronenberg, whose upcoming film is to be co-produced by the director of the Estoril Festival, Paulo Branco.

The official jury is composed of musician David Byrne, photographer and filmmaker Cindy Sherman, choreographer Rui Horta, composer Alexandre Desplat, and Manfred Eicher, founder of the recording label ECM Manfred. Former MEP and Cineuropa's Honorary President Luciana Castellina will attend the festival to present the Cineuropa Award, given to one of the European films in the programme.