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CANNES 2019 Directors' Fortnight

New blood to enter the fray in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight

by 

- 16 of the 24 selected filmmakers will take their first steps on the Croisette, where Europe is set to dominate a programme graced by Lav Diaz, Bertrand Bonello, Rebecca Zlotowski and Takashi Miike

New blood to enter the fray in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight
An Easy Girl by Rebecca Zlotowski

"The aim of the Directors’ Fortnight is to establish new directors and new types of film in Cannes, to highlight the modernity of certain forms of writing and to showcase brilliant and visionary works". On entering the arena, Paolo Moretti, the new artistic director of Directors’ Fortnight - the 51st edition of which will run from 15-25 May as part of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival – has made no secret of his desire to inject new impetus into the famed parallel section of the festival. Indeed, an impressive 16 filmmakers (out of a total number of 24 whose full-length films are screening in the event) are set to take their first steps on the Croisette.

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The programme, which was announced at midday in the Forum des Images in Paris, will be dominated by European works, with 14 such productions topping the bill. Included within this figure are six French filmmakers: Rebecca Zlotowski with An Easy Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rebecca Zlotowski
film profile
]
, Bertrand Bonello with Zombi Child [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bertrand Bonello
film profile
]
, Nicolas Pariser with Alice and the Mayor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicolas Pariser
film profile
]
, Erwan Le Duc with The Bare Necessity [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erwan Le Duc
film profile
]
, Benoît Forgeard with Yves [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benoît Forgeard
film profile
]
and Quentin Dupieux with Deerskin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Quentin Dupieux
film profile
]
which will open the event. These six representatives are also joined by the fully French documentary, Blow It to Beats [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, by American filmmaker of Polish origin Lech Kowalski.

On the topic of the Old Continent, Belgium is also in the game with Ghost Tropic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bas Devos
film profile
]
by Bas Devos, as is Switzerland with Particles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Blaise Harrison
film profile
]
by Blaise Harrison, Sweden with And Then We Danced [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Levan Akin
interview: Levan Gelbakhiani
film profile
]
by Levan Akin (which we got a sneak peak at during the Les Arcs Film Festival’s Work in Progress event), Finland with Dogs Don’t Wear Pants [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: J-P Valkeapää
film profile
]
by Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää, Lithuania with Oleg [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juris Kursietis
film profile
]
by Juris Kursietis and Austria with Lillian [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andreas Horvath
film profile
]
by Andreas Horvath. And let’s not forget Denmark whose delegate production at the festival is The Orphanage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Shahrbanoo Sadat
film profile
]
by young Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat.

Three Asian productions will be showcased during the event, namely new works put forward by veteran filmmakers Lav Diaz (winner of the Golden Leopard and the Golden Lion) and Takashi Miike, from the Philippines and Japan respectively, as well as a Chinese feature film (co-produced with France) by the Canadian Johnny Ma.

North America will be present by way of three films, two of which are directed by Americans (Robert Eggers and the filmmaker of Russian origin Kirill Mikhanovsky) and one by British-Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvari.

South America is likewise pinning its hopes on three representatives, in the form of three full-length films signed off by Peruvian director Melina León (whose work is co-produced by Switzerland), Argentina's Alejo Moguillansky, and Brazil's Alice Furtado (whose works are co-produced by the Netherlands and France respectively).

Finally, North Africa will feature on the programme with Tlamess [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ala Eddine Slim
film profile
]
by Tunisia's Ala Eddine Slim (a film co-produced by France), which confirms the popularity of films from this particular region across the various sections of the Cannes Film Festival this year.

In total, the 2019 selection includes four first feature films and four works directed by women, but also a considerable number of second full-length titles. With the exception of a few very famous names (including Diaz, Bonello and Miike), there’s an air of discovery to the whole affair. This is certainly arousing a great deal of curiosity, but it also hints at an interesting desire to take risks, which is confirmed by the highly diversified mix of genres on the programme.

Last but not least, American filmmaker of Mexican origin Robert Rodriguez will deliver a masterclass, and his new opus, Red 11, will receive a special screening, while the mid-length film The Staggering Girl by Italian director Luca Guadagnino is also set to be unveiled.The selected titles for Cannes' 51st Directors' Fortnight are being unveiled in Paris today starting at 11.00 CET.

The list of titles announced:

Directors' Fortnight

Feature films

Deerskin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Quentin Dupieux
film profile
]
- Quentin Dupieux (France) (opening film)
Alice and the Mayor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicolas Pariser
film profile
]
 - Nicolas Pariser (France)
And Then We Danced [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Levan Akin
interview: Levan Gelbakhiani
film profile
]
- Levan Akin (Sweden/Georgia)
The Halt (Ang hupa) - Lav Diaz (Philippines/China)
Dogs Don't Wear Pants [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: J-P Valkeapää
film profile
]
J-P Valkeapää (Finland/Latvia)
Song Without a Name [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Melina León (Peru/Switzerland)
Ghost Tropic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bas Devos
film profile
]
 - Bas Devos (Belgium)
Give Me LibertyKirill Mikhanovsky (US)
First Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Takashi Miike (Japan/UK)
The Lighthouse - Robert Eggers (Canada/US)
Lillian [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andreas Horvath
film profile
]
Andreas Horvath (Austria)
Oleg [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juris Kursietis
film profile
]
 - Juris Kursietis (Latvia/Belgium/Lithuania/France)
Blow It to Beats [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Lech Kowalski (France)
The Orphanage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Shahrbanoo Sadat
film profile
]
Shahrbanoo Sadat (Denmark/Afghanistan/France)
Particles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Blaise Harrison
film profile
]
 - Blaise Harrison (Switzerland/France)
The Bare Necessity [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erwan Le Duc
film profile
]
 - Erwan Le Duc (France)
For the MoneyAlejo Moguillansky (Argentina)
Sick Sick Sick [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 - Alice Furtado (Brazil/Netherlands/France)
Tlamess [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ala Eddine Slim
film profile
]
 - Ala Eddine Slim (Tunisia/France)
To Live to Sing [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Johnny Ma (China/France)
An Easy Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rebecca Zlotowski
film profile
]
- Rebecca Zlotowski (France)
Wounds [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Babak Anvari (UK/US)
Zombi Child [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bertrand Bonello
film profile
]
- Bertrand Bonello (France)
Yves [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benoît Forgeard
film profile
]
 - Benoît Forgeard (France) (closing film)

Special Screenings

Red 11 - Robert Rodriguez (US)
The Staggering GirlLuca Guadagnino (Italy) (medium-length film)

Short and medium-length films

Two Sisters Who Are Not Sisters - Beatrice Gibson (UK/Germany/Canada/France)
The Marvelous Misadventures of the Stone Lady - Gabriel Abrantes (France/Portugal)
Grand Bouquet - Nao Yoshigai (Japan)
Je te tiens - Sergio Caballero (Spain)
MovementsDahee Jeong (South Korea)
Olla - Ariane Labed (France/UK)
Piece of MeatJerrold Chong & Huang Junxiang (Singapore)
Ghost Pleasure - Morgan Simon (France)
Stay Awake, Be Ready - An Pham Thien (Vietnam/South Korea/US)
That Which Is to Come Is Just a Promise - Flatform (Italy/Netherlands/New Zealand)

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(Translated from French)

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