Cannes 08: International Critics’ Week Line Up

Critic’s Week is a smaller-in-scope, parallel event that might come across as Cannes’ least desirable, but the fact is: this is a sidebar that manages to offer some solid debut and second time efforts. Last year, the Espace Miramar (a serious walk from the traffic jams of the festival core) was overwhelmed by salivating fans awaiting the solo screening for Gael Garcia Bernal debut film Déficit, but the section also offered international festival favorites in Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen’s Jellyfish
(Meduzot) and Lucia Puenzo XXY and special screenings for Juan Antonio Bayona’s horror mystery The Orphanage and French filmmaker pairing Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s bone chilling horror film Inside (À
l’intérieur).

Now in their 47th edition, this year’s slate of ten films (5 out of 7 in competition titles are first time efforts and have the added chance at grabbing the camera d’or prize) and the section is almost entirely comprised of mostly Euro-fair and is book-ended by a pair of must see films by actor and now apparently director Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz (Seven Days) with the closer belonging to Rodrigo Pla and his The Desert Within. In the same token FIPRESCI announced their presents its “Revelation of the Year”, and this year Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke’s second feature, a Berlin Film festival award winner entitled Lake Tahoe. This specially designed slot showcases a film that according to the org deserves more attention. One special screening goes to Rumba from directors Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Remy.

Here is the entire slate.

Feature films in Competition
Christophe Van Rompaey – Moscow, Belgium (Belgium)
Emily Atef – The Stranger In Me (Germany)
Duane Hopkins – Better Things (UK)
Pablo Fendrik – Blood Appears (Argentina-France-Germany)
Aida Begic – Snow (Bosnia-Herzegovina-Germany-France)
Anna Novion – Grown Ups (France-Sweden)
Valeria Gaia Germanica – Everybody Dies But Me (Russia)

Opening film: Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz – Seven Days (Israel-France)
Closing film: Rodrigo Pla – The Desert Within (Mexico)
Special screening: Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy – Rumba (Belgium-France)