With two days away to the Palmarès, and two films left to screen, here is the official selection which has commanded the press attention for over a week - with comments by the directors.
No one can ever predict what a jury with a chemistry of its own will decide. We have some ideas though from the day one press conference: Benoît Poelvoorde is going to take revenge on the films because he's never won an award (prompted by Bob Hope and Billy Crystal). Tilda Swinton and Quentin Tarantino will politely discuss the merits of the industrial and art house film selections over a cup of tea (maybe with Julie Andrews and a spoon full of sugar).Emmanuelle Béart and Kathleen Turner have been on the other side, defending their films and directors, and will therefore have some insight into how to be more scrutinizing. Tsui Hark will be the devil and Edwidge Danticat and Peter Von Bagh will referree.

2046 directed by WONG Kar-wai (CHINA)
The director’s vision of the future, 50 years after Hong Kong is given back to China. The cinematic style of Wong Kar-wai mesmerizes. Will he mesmirize the jury? All of them made it to the premiere, so what does that say already?

There is a need in all of us to have a place to hide or store certain memories, thoughts, impulses, hopes and dreams. These are part of our lives that we can't resolve or best not act upon, but at the time, we are afraid to jettison them. For some, this is a physical place; for others, it is a mental space, and for a few it is neither."


CLEAN directed by Olivier ASSAYAS (FRANCE)
Assayas has made a clean start after 'Demon Lover'. The story of an over-the-hill '80s rock star played by Maggie Cheung -- who tries to quit drugs. Brian Eno backs her up in the soundtrack

“I wanted to make a film carried by a faith in the idea that we can change.”

CONSEQUENCES OF LOVE directed by Paolo SORRENTINO (ITALY)
Classy and tasteful art house piece, featuring the niece of Anna Magnani, Olivia , as a bar maid ”that doesn’t have much to do” --only help an old man on assignment in a nondescript hotel out of his depression. Life in the Maffia can be boring.

“The film tells the story of a man who is shut inside a hotel for eight years, and who during his time there develops a certain way of life. What interested me was the moment when, for a small reason created by chance, he decides to take his life in another direction.”

EXILS directed by Tony GATLIF (FRANCE)
“We are all exiles”, “and you carry your own skin with you”, says Gatlif and his film about a young French couple who travel to the home of their parents in Algeria. “ I wanted to look at the scars and the physical material of the Mediterranean”. And look we do. And listen - to a captivating score, that even sounded out on the Cannes steps.


FAHRENHEIT 911directed by Michael MOORE (USA)
We are used to Mooreantics from before, and we’re used to this style. The topic is daring but the biggest news is the freelancers in the field that blow the whistle on what the major networks are not covering.

“I wanted to say something about post-9/11 in America: What's happened to us as a people. This time I was the straight man and Bush had all the jokes ”

GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE directed by OSHII Mamoru (JAPAN)
One of two animated films in competition. This is a sequel to Ghost in the Shell -- nine years in the making, less political and set in 2032 where humans coexist with cyborgs and have forgotten what it means to be human.

"This movie does not hold the view that the world revolves around the human race. Instead it concludes that all forms of life – humans, animals and robots – are equal. In this day and age when everything is uncertain, we should all think about what to value in life and how to coexist with others."

LIFE IS A MIRACLE directed by Emir KUSTURICA(BOSNIA)
Life is a circus, that is what Kusturica constantly reminds us of, hurling topics at us in three rings about his impressions about the former Yugoslavia.

“I still believe that miracles exist.”


LOOK AT ME directed by Agnès JAOUI (FRANCE)
Jaoui commands our eyesight, and proves that if you spend enough time and have enough talent you can write an intelligent script.

“When I write, it's already musical. It's instinctive: you have to find the right words, like expressions that suit you. Storytelling and music share a sense of rhythm.”

MONDOVINO directed by Jonathan NOSSITER (USA / ARGENTINA / ITALY/ FRANCE)
It’s good to know that the wine connoisseur has only three families to choose from when making comparisons. Grapes of wrath could be another name for this interesting documentary.

"Wine is the reflection of the land from which it came and should also reflect its cultivator."

NOBODY KNOWS directed by KORE-EDA Hirokazu (JAPAN)
What we do know is that abandoment is a big problem in Japan, and that the mother who abandons her children fathered by different men does it to survive. The poetic realism of this film is stunning.

"I often work with real events, sometimes for documentaries, sometimes for fiction. For Nobody Knows I did not want a journalistic style; I wanted to show how children grow up and what they must shed in order to become a grown-up. I felt that fiction was more adapted to this story.”

OLD BOY directed by PARK Chan-wook (SOUTH KOREA)
This violent tale of revenge about a man locked up for 15 years for no reason, is released and seeks revenge is beyond disturbing.

“I think that I make pessimistic films because I'm far too optimistic in daily life.”

SHREK 2 directed by Andrew ADAMSON, Kelly ASBURY, Conrad VERNON (USA) I suppose we couldn’t have lived our lives without enlarging on this piece and it wouldn’t be fair to let our kids grow up today only knowing Julie Andrews for 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Sound of Music.'

"Being invited to Cannes is in itself a win” (Jeffrey Katzenberg)

SUD PRALAD directed by Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL (FRANCE/THAILAND)
Its good to know that this is not a ’gay film’ but a film about two men who love one another in a society that doesn’t understand them.

“Tropical Malady is about my attraction to virgin landscapes and mystery. It's a song to love and darkness,”

THE EDUKATORS directed by Hans WEINGARTNER (GERMANY/ AUSTRIA)
Young people, educate us about what it means today to have no collectivity and only individual solutions to all the world problems.

“Many young people yearn for radical political change, but there's a real lack of new suggestions,” says Hans Weingartner. “We live in a society that's so individualistic that the idea of group action has become impossible, or nearly. The Edukators tells a story of resistance – a story of poetic resistance.”

THE HOLY GIRL directed by Lucrecia MARTEL(ARGENTINA)
The film produced by Pedro and Agustin Almodovar is jarring and chaotic in terms of story and compelling in terms of imagery.

"I didn't want to make a film about innocence. Abstract notions like innocence and guilt, good and evil, were not written into my screenplay; I prefer to create ‘live' characters.”

THE LADYKILLERS directed by Ethan COEN, Joel COEN (USA)
A remake of an old film, with a little polishing.

“I saw the original film twice, once on TV when I was a kid, and again about 15 or 20 years ago in the presence of the director, Alexander Mackendrick. We weren't scared to do a remake. We loved the original and only stole a few lines of dialogue. We loved the story, its construction and we always knew that the first version would survive our little personal touches. We didn't want to be irreverant towards the original film.”


THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS directed by Stephen HOPKINS(USA)
Charlize Theron had to 'pretty up' to play Swedish actress Britt Eklund in this biopic about the great Peter Sellers, starring the grand Geoffrey Rush.

"I hate everything I do" (Peter Sellers)


THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES directed by Walter SALLES (ARGENTINA/BRAZIL/CHILE/PERU/USA)

Walter Salles says the film on the diaries of Che Guevara is not a trip back in time as much as a look today at a Latin America that is still underdeveloped and exploited. Actress Mia Maestro explains why the film is important today for young people: “people need an ideology, a political ideology to base life on and they need to get more involved in government.”

WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN directed by HONG Sangsoo (KOREA (South)/FRANCE
Now here is an original story that’s never been done, the title, from an Aragon poem. An art professor and filmmaker, exchange stories about the same woman they were in love with before. The secret sauce lies in a contemplative cinematic style.

"What interests me most is to show everyday family with a twist so as to be different."



Moira Sullivan, Filmfestivals.com