Cannes 2000 veers towards larger scale pictures

Although Gilles Jacob is still six weeks away from announcing his Cannes competition selection, the line-up in all the Cannes festival sections is already looking heavily skewed towards high-profile, large-scale films, with a particular bias towards English-language titles, many of the them sizeable international co-productions.

The potential list of contenders that Jacob is now sifting through or waiting upon include films from Lars Von Trier, Joel Coen, Terence Davies, Nagisa Oshima and Roland Joffe (see list below).

Even this year's Jury president Luc Besson suggests a slant towards larger name-driven films - perhaps in a bid to correct last year's tendency to reward small, difficult and obscure art-house fare.

The pictures seriously tussling for competition appear to justify the decision by French sales houses Le Studio Canal Plus and TF1 International to bankroll crossover auteur directors from around the world. Between them they may have ten films in the festival. Many directors on the hit-list include Robert Lepage, Arnaud Desplechin, Kristian Levring are making their English-language debuts.

Current indications would suggest that sex will be a recurring theme in the Official Selection with In The Mood For Love (straight), Goddess Of 1967 (straight), Gohatto (gay), The Monkey's Mask (lesbian), Happy End (straight) and Sade (sado-masochistic).

Although many films have not even been seen by Cannes selectors, or are simply not ready, a promising line-up of the world's greatest directors looks all but assured for this year's festival. Here are some of the contenders. This list is highly provisional.

VATEL
(Roland Joffe)
Gerard Depardieu plays a master chef hired by a nobleman to prepare a feast for King Louis XIV in this $30m plus period drama that also features both Uma Thurman and Tim Roth.
(Gaumont)

DANCER IN THE DARK
(Lars Von Trier)
Icelandic singing sensation Bjork stars as an immigrant single mother who takes refuge from her daily life in a mid-sixties US factory by imagining herself and her co-workers in Hollywood musicals. Danish maverick Von Trier used 100 simultaneously rolling cameras for the dance sequences. Co-stars include Catherine Deneuve and Stellan Skarsgard.
(Trust Film Sales)

CHUNGHYANG
(Im Kwon Taek)
An epic drama by the prolific godfather of Korean cinema whose Surrogate Mother won an acting prize at the Venice Film Festival. This tale of forbidden love is told through the songs of a traditional opera soloist.
(Cineclick)

GOHATTO
(Nagisa Oshima)
15 years after Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, Japan's biggest star Takeshi Kitano teams up with Nagisa Oshima in this gay-themed sword epic set among Samurai warriors, circa 1865.
(Le Studio Canal Plus)

THE HOUSE OF MIRTH
(Terence Davies)
Davies directs Gillian Anderson in this adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel of a socialite's disgrace.
(Capitol Films)

A LA VERTICALE DE L'ETE
(Tran An Hung)
From the Vietnamese director who made The Scent Of Green Papaya and Cyclo comes sensual exploration about the pursuit of happiness among three sisters.
(Le Studio Canal Plus)

THE LUZHIN DEFENSE
(Marleen Gorris)
John Turturro and Emily Watson star in this adaptation of a Vladimir Nabokov short story from Antonia's Line and Mrs. Dolloway director Marleen Gorris.
(Renaissance Films)

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
(Wong Kar-Wai)
Wong reunites with cinematographer regular Chritopher Doyle for an offbeat romantic tale.
(Fortissimo Film Sales)

LA VIRGEN DE LOS SICARIOS
(Barbet Schroeder)
Filmed with unknown cast, Virgen is about a man who returns to his native Colombia to find the country changed beyond recognition and his lover has become an assassin.
(Le Studio Canal Plus)

O, BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU'
(Joel Coen)
George Clooney join forces with the Coen Brothers in this period chain-gang comedy. Coen alumni John Goodman, John Turturro and Holly Hunter co-star.
(UPI)

THE YARDS
(James Gray)
Mark Wahlberg stars as an ex-con trying to clean up his act but who falls into a world of corruption in the New York subway repair yard in which he works. Director Gray, made his debut with Little Odessa.
(Miramax International)

15 MOMENTS
(Denys Arcand)
Cannes favourite Arcand returns with an exploration of the nature of fame. Could be directors fortnight.
(Alliance atlantis).

BREAD AND ROSES
(Ken Loach)
Ken Loach's take on a controversial union drive in 1980s Los Angeles.
(The Sales Co)

POSSIBLE WORLDS
(Robert Le Page)
Le Confessional director Robert Le Page makes his English-language debut with this mystery story.
(Alliance Atlantis)

THE MAN WHO READ LOVE STORIES
Richard Dreyfuss' bookish recluse has his world shaken in this Amazon-set adaptation from Dance Me To My Song's Rolf De Heer.
(Pandora Cinema)

THE GOLDEN BOWL
(James Ivory)
Nick Nolte reteams with Merchant-Ivory in this Henry James adaptation.
(TF1 international)

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
(Darren Aronofsky)
The director of the black-and-white Pi turns his camera on Jared Leto's dreamy junky.
(Summit Entertainment)

SADE
(Benoit Jacquot)
Daniel Auteuil stars as the Marquis de Sade in Benoit Jacquot's biopic.
(TF1 International)

CECIL B DEMENTED
(John Waters)
Waters takes aim at the low-budget film business with Stephen Dorff and Melanie Griffith starring.
(Le Studio Canal Plus)

MEMENTO
(from Christopher Nolan)
Guy Pearce stars in this thriller from Christopher Nolan, director of Following.
(Summit Entertainment)

THE MONKEY'S MASK
(Samantha Lang)
Lang's follow-up to The Well follows a female sleuth in the Sydney poetry underworld where she becomes infatuated with another woman.
(Le Studio Canal Plus)

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
(Ang Lee)
Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat in a sword-and-romance epic set in 19th Century China.
(Good Machine International)

THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR
(Tom Tykwer)
Run Lola Run writer/director Tom Tykwer recasts Lola star Franka Potente in a fast-paced love story.
(Le Studio Canal Plus)

LES ACTEURS
(Bertrand Blier)
Bertrand Blier's ensemble piece features a who's who of French talent.
(Le Studio Canal Plus)

ESTHER KHAN
(Arnaud Desplechin)
Big-budget picture by Cannes favourite Desplechin.
(Le Studio Canal Plus)

CHICKEN RUN (selected scenes may get special screening )
Claymation genius Nick Park's Aardman delivers a glimpse of its first feature with voices by Mel Gibson and Timothy Spall.
(DreamWorks SKG)

THE MAN WHO CRIED
(Sally Potter)
Robert De Niro, Christina Ricci, Johnny Depp, John Turturro and Cate Blanchett sta