Screen International profiles this year's Cannes contenders - click on sales company name to be taken to relevant website

IN COMPETITION

Alexandra
Dir: Alexander Sokurov
In Competition for three consecutive years with Telets, Russian Ark and Father And Son, Sokurov returns to Cannes with Alexandra, about an elderly woman who visits Chechnya where her grandson, a Russian army officer, is based.
Int'l sales: Rezo Films Int'l, (33) 1 42 46 46 30

The Banishment
Dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Russian director Zvyagintsev picked up the Venice Golden Lion in 2003 for The Return, about a father's relationship with his sons. Zvyagintsev again focuses on family, but in his $4m The Banishment the protagonists are husband and wife. Helicotronc and Ren TV are producing.
Int'l sales: Intercinema, (1) 7 495 255 90 52

Breath
Dir: Kim Ki-duk
Korean director Kim returns to Cannes, having showcased The Bow in Un Certain Regard in 2005. Breath tells the story of a death-row inmate who falls in love with another man's wife. The $500,000 project was produced by Kim Ki-duk Film in association with sales agent Cineclick Asia and local distributor Sponge.
Int'l sales: Cineclick Asia, (82) 2 538 0211

Death Proof
Dir: Quentin Tarantino
Cannes favourite Tarantino has extended Death Proof, his segment of the Grindhouse double feature with Robert Rodriguez, especially for Cannes. The car-chase action movie stars Kurt Russell, Eli Roth and Rose McGowan.
Int'l sales: The Weinstein Company, (1) 646 862 3400

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Dir: Julian Schnabel
Schnabel's French-language film tells the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) who suffers a stroke and communicates by blinking. Adapted from Bauby's book, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly is produced by Pathe Renn and is due for release next year.
Int'l sales: Pathe Pictures Int'l, (44) 207 323 5151

The Edge Of Heaven
Dir: Fatih Akin
This is the second part of the German director's planned trilogy, Love, Death and the Devil. While love was the central motif in Head-On (which won the Berlinale Golden Bear in 2004), the core of this emigration story is death. The Edge Of Heaven has already been picked up by Pyramide in France.
Int'l sales: The Match Factory, (49) 221 292 1020

Import/Export
Dir: Ulrich Seidl
Known for his painstaking attention to detail, as seen in his previous films Dog Days and Models, Austrian director Seidl took two years to make this $2.9m film, which matches a nurse from the Ukraine and a hooligan from a Viennese suburb looking for love, happiness and a meaning to life. Produced by Seidl's own company, Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion.
Int'l sales: The Coproduction Office, (33) 1560 26000

The Love Songs
Dir: Christophe Honore
This is French playwright and novelist Christophe Honore's first film in Competition at Cannes. Produced by Alma Productions, The Love Songs is a musical comedy starring Louis Garrel and Ludivine Sagnier.
Int'l sales: Gemini, (33) 1 44 54 17 17

The Man From London
Dir: Bela Tarr
Starring Tilda Swinton, Volker Spengler and Agi Szirtes, this $5m film by Hungary's Tarr is an existential mystery about a man who witnesses a murder. Best known for his Berlin award-winners Werckmeister Harmonies and Satan's Tango, Tarr's latest film is produced by Wind Fish Motion Pictures, Ognon Pictures and Cinema Soleil among others.
Int'l sales: Fortissimo Films, (31) 20 627 3215

Mogari No Mori
Dir: Naomi Kawase
Japanese director Kawase is no stranger to the Croisette: her film Shara played in Competition in 2003 and she won the Camera d'Or for Moe No Suzaku in 1997. Mogari No Mori tells the story of the relationship between a social worker and a senile man with a troubled past. Executive produced by Hengameh Panahi of newly merged entity Dreamachine, with support from the CNC in France.
Int'l sales: Dreamachine, (44) 207 290 0750
(no website at present: Hanway Films/Celluloid Dreams)

My Blueberry Nights (Opening Film)
Dir: Wong Kar-wai
Hong Kong's iconic director opens Cannes with his first English-language film, shot in the US. Singer Norah Jones makes her acting debut as a broken-hearted woman on a road trip who encounters characters played by Jude Law, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman. Wong won best director at Cannes for Happy Together and has a track record for showing up on the Croisette with wet prints - but the festival insists My Blueberry Nights will be ready in time.
Int'l sales: StudioCanal, (33) 1 71 35 35 35

No Country For Old Men
Dirs: Joel and Ethan Coen
A suitcase full of cash leads to violence and mayhem in the Coen brothers' latest outing, based on a novel by Pulitzer prize-winner Cormac McCarthy. Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson star. Produced by Paramount Vantage, Miramax and Scott Rudin Productions, the film is due for release worldwide from August.
Int'l dist: Paramount Pictures Int'l, (44) 20 8563 4000

An Old Mistress
Dir: Catherine Breillat
Based on an 1865 novel, this $9m film from the French mistress of eroticism involves a man who is married off despite his affair with a courtesan, played by Asia Argento. Breillat's first attempt at period drama is produced by Flach Film.
Int'l sales: Pyramide International, (33) 1 42 96 01 01

Paranoid Park
Dir: Gus Van Sant
Paranoid Park marks Van Sant's return to Cannes after winning the Palme d'Or for Elephant in 2003. Adapted from the novel by Blake Nelson about a skateboarder who accidentally kills a security guard, the director cast the film through an open call on MySpace.
Int'l sales: MK2, (33) 1 44 67 30 00

Persepolis
Dirs: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
Based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Satrapi, Persepolis is a feature animation about an outspoken Iranian girl set during the Islamic Revolution. The film is produced by 2.4.7. Films and The Kennedy/Marshall Company.
Int'l sales: Dreamachine, (44) 20 7290 0750
(no website at present: Hanway Films / Celluloid Dreams )

Promise Me This
Dir: Emir Kusturica
A two-time Palme d'Or winner, director Kusturica could make it a record-breaking third win with Promise Me This, the story of a young man who heads to Belgrade to find a wife. Starring Aleksandar Bercek, Ljiljana Blagojevic and Miki Manojlovic, the film is produced by France's Fidelite Productions and Rasta Film.
Int'l sales: Studio Canal, (33) 1 71 35 35 35

Secret Sunshine
Dir: Lee Chang-dong
Korea's Lee, whose Peppermint Candy was in Directors' Fortnight in 2000, returns to Cannes with Secret Sunshine. Song Kang-ho from The Host stars as a mechanic who falls in love with a piano teacher played by Jeon Do-yeon (Happy End). Produced by Pine House Film.
Int'l sales: CJ Entertainment, (82) 2 2017 1188

Silent Light
Dir: Carlos Reygadas
Mexico's Reygadas wrote, produced and directed this film about a Mennonite man who jeopardises his family life and transgresses the teachings of his religion by falling in love with another woman. Produced by local outfits Mantarraya and No Dream Cinema, the film received European backing from France's Bac Films and Arte France, as well as funding from the Netherlands Filmfund.
Int'l sales: Bac Films International, (33) 1 53 53 52 56

Tehilim
Dir: Raphael Nadjari
Winner of the France Culture Award at Cannes in 2004 for Avanim, French director Nadjari returns with Tehilim, a coming-of-age story about a boy in Jerusalem. The film received support from Canal+ and the CNC.
Int'l sales: Films Distribution, (33) 1 53 10 33 99

We Own The Night
Dir: James Gray
Seven years after his last film The Yards, Gray returns with We Own The Night about a nightclub manager (Joaquin Phoenix) who tries to save his brother (Mark Wahlberg) from mafia hit men. Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Productions have produced, alongside Industry Entertainment.
Int'l sales: 2929 International, (1) 323 658 1555

Zodiac
Dir: David Fincher
Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr are on the trail of the Zodiac killer in this true-life thriller from Fight Club director Fincher. A Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures and Phoenix Pictures production, Zodiac has taken close to $40m in the US since March 2.
Int'l dist: Warner Bros, (1) 818 954 6000

4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days
Dir: Cristian Mungiu
Mungiu's $800,000 4 Months follows a day in the life of two girls in Romania in the final years of communism. It is produced by Mobra Films and Saga Film with financing from the Romanian National Centre for Cinematography, Romanian Television and the Hubert Bals Fund.
Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 53 01 50 20

OUT OF COMPETITION
The Age Of Darkness (Closing Film)
Dir: Denys Arcand
Int'l sales: Studio Canal, (33) 171 35 35 35

A Mighty Heart
Dir: Michael Winterbottom
Int'l dist: Paramount Pictures Int'l, (44) 20 8563 4000

Ocean's 13
Dir: Steven Soderbergh
Int'l dist: Warner Bros, (1) 818 954 6000

Sicko
Dir: Michael Moore
Int'l sales: The Weinstein Company, (1) 646 862 3400


MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS


Boarding Gate
Dir: Olivier Assayas
Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 53 01 50 20

Go Go Tales
Dir: Abel Ferrara
Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 53 01 50 20

U2 3D
Dirs: Catherine Owens, Mark Pellington
Int'l sales: TBC

SPECIAL SCREENINGS


11th Hour
Dirs: Leila Conners Petersen, Nadia Conners
Int'l sales: TBC

Fengming, A Chinese Memoir (He Fengming)
Dir: Bing Wang
Contact: Wil Productions, wilproductions@gmail.com

Retour En Normandie
Dir: Nicolas Philibert
Int'l sales: Films Distribution, (33) 1 53 10 33 99

The War
Dir: Lynn Novick, Ken Burns
Int'l sales: Wgbh Int'l, (1) 617 300 2659

UN CERTAIN REGARD


And Along Come Tourists
Dir: Robert Thalheim
Int'l sales: Bavaria Film International, (49) 89 6499 2686

Bikur Hatizmoret
Dir: Eran Kolirin
Int'l sales: Bleiburg Entertainment (1) 310 273 0003

California Dreamin'
Dir: Cristian Nemescu
Contact: Mediapro Distribution, (40) 318 256 624

Calle Santa Fe
Dir: Carmen Castillo
Contact: Parox Productora, (56) 2 634 9270

El Bano Del Papa
Dirs: Enrique Fernandes, Cesar Charlone
Contact: Laroux Cine, (598) 2 487 2477

Et Toi, T'Es Sur Quoi'
Dir: Lola Doillon
Int'l sales: Rezo Films, (33) 1 42 46 46 30

L'Avocat De La Terreur
Dir: Barbet Schroeder
Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 53 01 50 20

La Reve De La Nuit D'Avant
Dir: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 53 01 50 20

Les Pieuvres
Dir: Celine Sciamma
Int'l sales: Films Distribution, (33) 1 53 10 33 99

Magnus
Dir: Kadri Kousaar
Int'l sales: Estonian Film Foundation, (372) 627 6060

Blind Mountain
Dir: Yang Li
Int'l sales: StudioCanal, (33) 1 71 35 35 35

Mio Fratello E Figlio Unico
Dir: Daniele Luchetti
Int'l sales: TBC

Mister Lonely
Dir: Harmony Korine
Int'l sales: Dreamachine, (44) 207 290 0750
(no website at present: Hanway Films/Celluloid Dreams)

Munyurangabo
Dir: Lee Isaac Chung
Contact: Lee Isaac Chung, (1) 203 376 9841

Night Train
Dir: Yinan Diao
Contact: Vivian Qu, (86) 1303 102 5235

Pleasure Factory
Dir: Ekachai Uekrongtham
Int'l sales: Fortissimo Films, (85) 2 2311 8081

Solitary Fragments
Dir: Jaime Rosales
Int'l sales: The Match Factory, (49) 221 292 1020

CRITICS WEEK

Meduzot
Dir: Etgar Keret, Shira Geffen
Int'l sales: Pyramide Films, (33) 1 42 96 01 01

XXY
Dir: Lucia Puenzo
Int'l sales: Pyramide Films, (33) 1 42 96 01 01

Parpados Azules
Dir: Ernesto Contreros
Int'l sales: Funny Balloons, (33) 1 40 13 05 84/85/86

Voleurs De Chevaux
Dir: Micha Wald
Int'l sales: Rezo Films International, (33) 1 42 46 46 30

Nos Retrouvailles
Dir: David Oelhoffen
Int'l Sales: Pyramide Films, (33) 1 42 96 01 01

Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!
Dir: Daihachi Yoshida
Int'l Sales: Phantom Films, 813 5774 0016

A Via Lactea
Dir: Lina Chamie
Int'l sales: Bras Filmes, 11 3726 7824

El Asaltante
Dir: Pablo Fendrik
Int'l sales: MagmaCine, (54) 11 4632 2756

Heros
Dir: Bruno Merle
Int'l sales: Coach 14, (33) 1 47 00 10 60

Expired
Dir: Cecilia Miniucchi
Int'l sales: GreenStreet Films International, (1) 212 609 9000

The Mosquito Problem And Other Stories
Dir: Andrey Paounov
Int'l sales: TV2 World, (45) 35 37 22 00

A L'Interieur
Dir: Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo
Int'l sales: Dreamachine, no website at present: Hanway Films/Celluloid Dreams, (33) 149 70 03 70

El Orfanato
Dir: Juan Antonio Bayona
Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 53 10 42 50

Deficit
Dir: Gael Garcia Bernal
Int'l sales: Canana Films, 5255 5564 6936

Bad Habits
Dir: Simon Bross
Int'l sales: Gussi Artecinema

Yo
Dir: Rafa Cortez
Int'l sales: Rezo Films, (33) 1 42 46 46 30

Ezra
Dir: Newton Aduaka
Int'l sales: Wide Management, (33) 1 53 95 04 64


DIRECTORS FORTNIGHT


Apres Lui
Dir: Gael Morel
Int'l sales: Films Distribution, (33)1 53 10 33 99

Avant Que J'Oublie
Dir: Jacques Nolot
Int'l sales: tba

Caramel
Dir: Nadine Labaki
Int'l sales: Roissy Films, (33)1 53 53 50 50


Chop Shop
Dir: Ramin Bahrani
Int'l sales: The Works International, (44) 20 7612 1080


Control
Dir: Anton Corbijn
Int'l sales: Becker Films International, (61) 294 38 3377

Dai Nipponjin
Dir: Hitosi Matumoto
Int'l sales: tba

Elle S'Appelle Sabine
Dir: Sandrine Bonnaire
Int'l sales: tba

O Estado Do Mundo
Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Vicente Ferraz, Ayisha
Abraham, Wang Bing, Pedro Costa, Chantal Akerman
Int'l sales: tba

Foster Child
Dir: Brillante Mendoza
Int'l sales: Ignatius Films Canada, flapuz@ica.net, (1) 632 747 6742


La France
Dir: Serge Bozon
Int'l sales: Pyramide International, (33) 1 42 96 02 20

Garage
Dir: Lenny Abrahamson
Int'l sales: MK2, (33) 1 44 67 30 00

Gegenuber
Dir:Jan Bonny
Int'l sales: Wide Management, (33) 1 53 95 04 64


La Influencia
Dir:Pedro Quilera
Int'l sales: Bac Films International, (33) 1 53 53 52 52


Mutum
Dir: Sandra Kogut
Int'l sales: TF1 International, (33) 1 41 41 21 68


Ploy
Dir: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Int'l sales: Fortissimo Films, (31) 20 627 32 15

PVC-1
Dir: Spiros Stathoulopoulos
Int'l sales: HD Films Inc, (1) 818 954 4990

La Question Humaine
Dir: Nicolas Klotz
Int'l sales: Films Distribution, (33) 1 53 10 33 99

Savage Grace
Dir: Tom Kalin
Int'l sales: Dreamachine, no website at present: Hanway Films/Celluloid Dreams, (33) 1 49 70 03 70

Smiley Face
Dir: Gregg Araki
Int'l sales: First Look International, (1) 424 202 5000

Tout Est Pardonne
Dir: Mia Hansen-Love Int'l sales: Pyramide International, (33) 1 42 96 02 20

Un Homme Perdu
Dir: Danielle Arbid
Int'l sales: MK2, (33) 1 44 67 30 00

Yumurta
Dir: Semih Kaplanoglu
Int'l sales: Coach 14, (33) 1 47 00 10 60

Zoo
Dir: Robinson Devor
Int'l sales: ThinkFilm, (1) 212 444 7900

[ ENDS ]


Topics