27/05/2008

Right after winning Cannes 2008’s Special Prize, Catherine Deneuve will also be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Transilvania IFF to start on May 30. The Great Lady of the French Cinema will claim the honours during the Festival’s Closing Gala on June 7. Same day, she will also attend a special screening of Changing Times.

“It is a great privilege for us to have Mrs. Deneuve for TIFF’s Lifetime Achievement this year” , says honorary president Tudor Giurgiu, “and also a recognition of the fact that this festival has grown to become a key event for the film industry in the region”.

Catherine Deneuve will not be the only Cannes 2008 splasher to attend the most important film festival in Romania: Marian Crişan’s Megatron, winner of the Palme D’Or for Best Short Film, is screened in the Romanian Days competitive show-case of domestic films, while FIPRESCI Award-winning Delta [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kornél Mundruczó
interview: Orsi Tóth
film profile] will screen in the Hungarian Day selection of features. Radu Muntean’s Boogie (Directors’ Fortnight) and Interior. Block of Flats’ Hallway (Cinefondation short film section), are the other two Cannes entries to be screened in the Romanian Days.

It’s the second time in the seven years since that no domestic movie makes it into TIFF’s Competition, reserved for first or second-time feature directors. In the past editions, young filmmakers such as Cristian Mungiu or Dagur Kari have won the Transilvania trophy before becoming worldwide cinema revelations. This year, it’s another twelve fresh films such as Rodrigo Pla’s The Zone, Omar Shargawi’s Go With Peace, Jamil and Veiko Ounpuu’s Autumn Ball fighting for the big trophies.