It’s about time I start talking about one of my favorite film festivals in the world (even though I’ve never been to it, I grew up watching it since I could remember.)
When you go to see foreign films that will be showcased at the FilmFest DC in Washington, DC, starting next week for almost two weeks a run, you'd truly appreciate the range of international films that a lucky crowd of worldwide cinema lovers in DC gets to see thanks to such festivals as Cannes that recognize and promote cinema around the world.
Most of these films that we get to see during the FilmFest DC festival have been already shown at the Cannes Film Festival 2009. How do I know? Tony Gittens, the founder and director of FilmFest DC was kind enough to give me an interview last Friday (the summary of which will be published during the week, so stay tuned.) Gittens told me that films for the Washingtonian audience is selected by him and the committee during their trips to the film festivals around the world, and each year, in May, Gittens take off for Cannes Film Festival, where most of his foreign film selections are made.
So, in the next two weeks, I’ll be talking about foreign films – and being a film fanatic myself, I’ll be talking about it quite a bit. As Gittens told me – music to my ears – while foreign films were not as widely available, if it all, back in 1987, when the FilmFest was found, now – the audience became more knowledgeable about the foreign films, and with easy access to Internet, everyone can search, read and decide for themselves, what foreign films appeal to them. So, the audience definitely became more savvy. As for me, I have my Netflix-Roku set on foreign films tab at any time of a day.
My first post is about this year’s Cannes Film Festival poster and what to expect from the festival.
First of all – expect a great array of celebrities around the world (most likely Pamela Anderson will be there, as she hardly miss any Cannes parties), packed beaches with topless beauties from around the world, endlessly running champagne, private yachts parked by the harbor, and fashion, fashion, fashion…and, of course, the tireless paparazzi (I'm sure the "representatives" of Hollywood's TMZ will be there, first on hand...)
The new poster of the festival is featuring a truly international star, Juliette Binoche, who has won the hearts of the audiences around the world (and my favorite since the first time I saw her in "The Wuthering Heights" in the 90s): from very European cinema to American, she has been around…
The festival will open with the last film from Ridley Scott, “Robin Hood” with Russell Crowe in the lead. The jury will be headed by Tim Burton, whose latest “Alice in Wonderland” has already proven to get very close to the blockbuster's box office sales as “Avatar”. The program of films to be screened during the two week Cannes Film Festival would be announced on April 15 here.
A much awaited film starring Natalie Portman and Vincent Cassel (a French actor, and a very lucky man – being married to Monica Bellucci), “The Dark Swan” by Darren Aronofsky - also expects to draw a big crowd of critics and movie lovers in Cannes (perhaps, thanks to much advertised gossip of a sexually explicit action between the characters of Portman and Mila Kunis), as well as the new film from Woody Allen with Anthony Hopkins “You will meet a tall dark stranger.”
This is just a prelude to watch to expect from my Cannes Film Festival updates in the next few weeks…Stay tuned.
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