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CANNES 2014 Selection

La Croisette heaves into view

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- An enticing and promising list of candidates are competing for a place in selection at Cannes in May

La Croisette heaves into view

As the 64th Berlinale prepares to lower its curtain on Saturday, the attention of the global film industry professionals is turning to the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival (from 14 to 25 May 2014, with an advance ceremony on the 24th owing to the European elections). Although we already know who will be presiding over the competition jury (Jane Campion – read the news) as well as what the opening film will be (Grace de Monaco by Olivier Dahan – see the article), mystery still surrounds the programme that is being cooked up by General Delegate Thierry Frémaux, which he will unveil sometime in mid-April. In order to whet your appetite, here is a non-exhaustive list of the possible candidates for selection in the showcase of the world’s biggest festival.

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Among the biggest European contenders are Deux jours, une nuit by the Belgian duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Sommeil d'hiver by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, The Cut by German director Fatih Akin, Jimmy's Hall by the English director Ken Loach, Mr Turner by his fellow countryman Mike Leigh, On the Milky Road [+see also:
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]
by the Serbian director Emir Kusturica, White God by Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence by Swedish director Roy Andersson and Leviathan by Russian director Andreï Zvyagintsev.

North America also has fairly good prospects, with Maps to the Stars by David Cronenberg, Le règne de la beauté by Denys Arcand and Mommy by Xavier Dolan representing the Canadian contingent, and Inherent Vice by Paul Thomas Anderson, Jersey Boys by Clint Eastwood and Welcome to New York by Abel Ferrara for the USA. Among the Latin American contenders are Birdman by Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mr Kaplan by Uruguayan director Álvaro Brechner and the new, as-yet-untitled movie by Argentinian director Lisandro Alonso. The possible Asian candidates include Still the Water by Japanese director Naomi Kawase, Coming Home by Chinese director Zhang Yimou, The Assassin by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien and The Charming Rose by Singaporean director Eric Khoo. Meanwhile, Africa could be in with a chance, particularly with Le chagrin des oiseaux by Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako.

Featuring among the European outsiders are German directors Christian Petzold and Andreas Dresen, with their respective films Phoenix and Als wir träumten (While We Dream), Tourist by Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, 1001 grammes by Norwegian director Bent Hamer, Miss Julie by his fellow countrywoman Liv Ullmann, Amour Fou by the Austrian director Jessica Hausner and Fusi by Icelandic director Dagur Kari, not to mention the docu-fiction In the Basement by Austrian director Ulrich Seidl and of course Adieu au langage by Jean-Luc Godard. Also of note are Mirage by Hungarian director Szabolcs Hajdu, Free Fall by his fellow countryman György Pálfi, Xenia by Greek director Panos Koutras, The Duke of Burgundy by British director Peter Strickland, Il giovane favoloso by Italian director Mario Martone and La foresta di ghiacciao by his fellow countryman Claudio Noce. Among the younger contenders we find Zero by the Hungarian director Gyula Nemes, Montanha [+see also:
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trailer
interview: João Salaviza
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]
by Portuguese director João Salaviza and Le meraviglie by Italian director Alice Rohrwacher.

Also among the upcoming talents are The Rover by the Australian director David Michôd, the American production The Drop by Belgian director Michaël R. Roskam and L'institutrice by Israeli director Nadav Lapid

France has countless opportunities, such as Saint Laurent by Bertrand Bonello, Bird People by Pascale Ferran, Bande de filles by Céline Sciamma, La chambre bleue by Mathieu Amalric, Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and Retour à Ithaque by Laurent Cantet (which is unlikely to be ready in time). Also ready to do battle will be La Rançon de la gloire by Xavier Beauvois, Métamorphoses by Christophe Honoré, 3 coeurs by Benoît Jacquot, L'homme que l'on aimait trop by André Téchiné and Le fil d'Ariane by Robert Guédiguian, not to mention The Search by Oscar winner Michel Hazanavicius, whose French release date (26 November 2014) nevertheless seems a long way down the line compared to Cannes.

Among the countless French feature films vying for a place in one section or another of Cannes, we could highlight Hippocrate by Thomas Lilti, Le dernier coup de marteau by Alix Delaporte, Mon amie Victoria by Jean-Paul Civeyrac, Etats de femmes by Katia Lewkowicz and Gaby Baby Doll [+see also:
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]
by Sophie Letourneur. Also in with a chance are the French production Paradise Lost by Andrea Di Stefano (starring Benicio del Toro) and the highly political Clearstream (La justice ou le chaos) by Vincent Garenq. Lastly, the battle will be particularly intense between the French debut feature films, which include Qu'Allah bénisse la France by Abd Al Malik, Terre battue by Stéphane Demoustier, Mercuriales by Virgil Vernier, Tristesse Club by Vincent Marriette, Les combattants by Thomas Cailley, Bébé Tigre [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Cyprien Vial, Qui vive by Marianne Tardieu, Hope by Boris Lojkine, Party Girl by the trio Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis, Les Nuits d'été by Mario Fanfani and 98 by Hélène Zimmer.

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(Translated from French)

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