Search results for: Naomi Kawase

Insert a dog, a shoeshiner by trade Bohemian who takes a stand against the system/local police force to help an illegal refugee in the shape of a child (Cannes major theme this year is about protecting them) and add the trademark Kaurismaki humor and according to the warmest applause reserved for a film yet in the Main Competition and we have ourselves a true contender and audience favourite in Le Havre.

With a flurry of titles (from herlmers Kawase, Lanners, Rebecca Daly in the multiple Cannes sections, the future (Venice, and TIFF prospects) look equally as fruitful for Memento Films Int. The French Sales Agent and Prod Co. have a stellar bunch in post production items such from So Yong Kim's and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's next films (see Headshot pic above), but pre-production items with an eye towards next year's Cannes with Laurent Cantet's and Cate Shortland's next features.

Regardless what larger themes or shifting styles that are discovered or get attached to this year's Cannes batch, one of the major conversation starters is the prominence of global female filmmakers at the festival. There are 22 feature films by female directors (and I'm not even including the short films) which should be a record for any festival in recent memory.

This year Korean writer and director Bong Joon-Ho will preside over the jury that hands out the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera) award - the only cross-section award on the Croisette that is given to the best first feature. This year's winner will join the ranks of Michael Rowe (Leap Year, 2010), Warwick Thornton (Samson & Delilah, 2009), Steve McQueen (Hunger, 2008), Etgar Keret & Shira Geffen (Jellyfish, 2007), Corneliu Porumboiu (12:08 East of Bucharest, 2006) who all won the prestigious prize in the last five years.

Cannes is going to have a stellar Main Comp (Pedro, Ramsey, Lars, Dardenne Bros., Kaurismaki) but there are still plenty of unexpected no-shows this year. Making Venice extremely happy we don't find: Giorgos Lanthimos, Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, Aleksandr Sokurov, Christophe Honoré, Lou Ye, Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Brillante Mendoza.