Europe once again comes on strong amongst Cannes competitors with the Directors Fortnight sidebar boasting 11 films from the continent. In total, 22 titles were announced Tuesday morning in Paris with six films from France alone, not including co-productions in which the country is involved.
The US makes the second biggest appearance with five titles, including Bug, the latest from veteran director William Friedkin who marks his first official trip to Cannes this year. The thriller stars Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr.
Other US titles include a directorial first from cult French band Daft Punk, Daft Punk's Electorama by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter which is billed as a visual and musical odyssey about two robots on a quest to become human. Sundance contender The Hawk Is Dying from Julian Goldberger also scored a berth as did M. Blash's first film Lying with Chloe Sevigny, Jena Malone and Leelee Sobieski.
France's six titles are from confirmed talents including Jean-Claude Brisseau with Les Anges Exterminateurs, Michel Ocelot with the animated Azur Et Asmar, documentary maker Claire Simon here making a return to the Fortnight with a second feature Ca Brule, Emmanuel Mouret - who was selected in the Fortnight with 2004's Venus Et Fleur - with Changement D'Adresse and 17 Fois Cecile Cassard director Christoophe Honore with the story of a two brother in Dans Paris.
From Eastern Europe, currently making a splash in all the Cannes sections, are A Fost Sau N-A Fost' by Romania's Corneliu Porumboiu and Hungary's Feher Tenyer by Szabolcs Hadju. The latter is a French co-production.
Only two Asian films made the cut with South Korean's The Host by Bong Joon-Ho and Japan's Yureru from Nishikawa Miwa.
One film from Italy, Canada, Spain, Denmark, Germany and Portugal are also in the line up (see complete list) along with Ray Lawrence's well-anticipated Jindabyne from Australia and Philippe Falardeau's Congorama from Canada, Belgium and France which rounds out the list as the closing night film.
Cannes 2006 Directors Fortnight
(*denotesfirst film, eligibility for Camera D'Or)
*A Fost Sau N-A Fost' (Corneliu Porumboiu) Romania
*Anche Libero Va Bene (Kim Rossi Stuart) Italy
Les Anges Exterminateurs (Jean-Claude Brisseau) France
Azur Et Asmar (Michel Ocelot) France,Belgium, Italy, Spain
Bug (William Friedkin)
Ca Brule (Claire Simon)
Changement D'Adresse (Emmanuel Mouret) France
Congorama (closing night film) (Philippe Falardeau)
*Daft Punk's Electorama (Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christoand Thomas Bangalter) US
Dans Paris (Christophe Honore)
Dan Night Day Night (Julia Loktev)
Feher Tenyer (Szabolcs Hadju)
The Hawk Is Dying (Julian Goldberger)
*Honor De Cavalleria(AlbertSerra)
The Host (Bong Joon-Ho)
Jindabyne (Ray Lawrence)
*Lying (M. Blash) US
*On Ne Devrait Pas Exister (
*Princess (Anders Morgenthaler) Denmark,Germany
Sommer 04 An DerSchlei (Stefan Krohmer)
Transe (Teresa Villaverde) Portugal, France, Italy
Yureru (Nishikawa Miwa)
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Fantasma (Lisandro Alonso) Argentina,France, Holland
*Melvil (Melvil Poupaud) France
Mala Noche (Gus Van Sant) US
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