The Cannes FilmFestival has made two announcements regarding sidebars at the upcoming eventwhich runs from May 11-22.

Taiwanesedirector Edward Yang has been named to preside over the Cinefondation jury andthe short film jury while Georgian filmmaker Otar Iosseliani will act as patronof the 44th Critics' Week.

Yang won the bestdirector prize at Cannes in 2000 for Yi Yi. Previous jury presidents have included Martin Scorsese and ThomasVinterberg.

In his capacity as patron,Iosseliani will oversee a series of debates withvarious directors and on May 16 his first film, La Chute Des Feuilleswill be screened. The movie was the first from the Soviet Union to be selectedin Critics' Week in 1968. Due to opposition from Soviet authorities, thedirector was unable to attend Cannes with the film at the time.

In separate news, director Patrice Chereau has been named vice-president ofFrance's Cinematheque. Chereau replaces producer Humbert Balsan who committedsuicide in February.

The board of the Cinemathequeis now made up of president Claude Berri, vice-president Martine Offroy,treasurer Bruno Blanckaert and secretaries Arnold and Laurent Heynemann.