TerryGilliam hasn't released a film for seven years but he's fielding two in 2005 - Tidelandand The Brothers Grimm, set for a splashy bow today whenMiramax unspools 20 minutes of footage in Cannes with Gilliam, star MonicaBellucci and producer Chuck Roven in attendance.

The Grimm tale is typicalGilliam country, an ambitious fable boasting a whopping 750 special effectsshots. But it's not a sugar-coated Grimm:

"It does have momentsthat will stick in people's heads for a long time, some very disturbingthings," says Gilliam of his story, which brings the fairy-tale writersface-to-face with a real sorceress.

And, addedGilliam, although this Dimension production uses the latest gadgetry, it won'tlet the technology lead the drama.

"Grimm tries to avoidgoing down the route of Van Helsing. Those kinds of movies arevisually spectacular, but there's no gut. "I think I tried to keep 'Grimm' smaller in thatsense, so that the magic or enchantment is much more grounded."

Last here with Fear AndLoathing In Las Vegas in Competition back in 1998, Gilliam has seen BrothersGrimm release delayed several times, most recently due to corporate strifebetween Miramax and parent company Disney but Dimension has finally set a July29 release in the US.

Gilliam isn't thrilled to becompeting with the summer's blockbusters, even with the drawing power of itsstars Heath Ledger, Matt Damon and Bellucci

"I personally don't likegoing into that traffic jam, it's such a bloodbath out there, but it's the end of the summer and hopefully there will be a lotof blood on the floor already and we can just slip in," he said.

Even with the recent Miramaxupheaval, Gilliam says he has great confidence in Dimension.

"They arethe best, they'll do it with such panache and energy that even if people don'tlike it, they'll make it a hit. That's how good they are."

The former Monty Pythonwriter and cast member is following Grimm with another darklyfantastical film, Tideland - an adaptation of Mitch Cullin's book about ayoung girl with an active imagination.

After three years of the BrothersGrimm, he said working on a smaller project such as Tideland was a welcomerelief.

"Whenyou're working with less money there are a lot less pressures on you," thedirector said.

"There wasn't anybodysaying, 'Ooh are you sure you want to go that route' It was just, 'Let's go.'"

That film should be completein "the next couple of weeks. Producer Jeremy Thomas' HanWay Films ishandling sales for Tideland which could reach theatres this autumn.