Cannes Film Festival 2005 Embraces Proven Auteurs
By Cole Smithey
Dubbed the Year of the Auteur, this year’s 58th Cannes Film Festival (May 10 – 22) will present films by Woody Allen, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Mike Figgis, Michael Haneke, Jim Jarmusch, Gus Van Sant, Lars Von Trier, and Wim Wenders.
Of special interest from the films in competition is David Cronenberg’s "A History Of Violence," a graphic novel-based film about a family whose father commits murder in ostensible self-defense. Viggo Mortensen and Robert Duvall star.
Canadian director Atom Egoyan’s "Where The Truth Lies" follows a young journalist (the gifted Alison Lohman) as she uncovers a past entertainment scandal involving Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth.
Screenwriter Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon") makes his directorial debut with "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang," an action/comedy staring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer.
Tommy Lee Jones adds his name to the auteur list with "The Burials Of Melquiades Estrada," a road movie in which Jones plays a ranch hand making good on a promise to bury his best friend in Mexico.
Critical darling Wim Wenders steps into Western territory with
"Don’t Come Knockin’ " wherein Sam Shepard is an aging cowboy star on a journey of self discovery. Tim Roth, Jessica Lange and Sarah Polley co-star.
"Manderlay" is Lars Von Trier’s sequel to his controversial "Dogville" and employs Bryce Dallas Howard ("The Village") in the role that Nicole Kidman played in the trilogy’s first installment. Willem Dafoe, Danny Glover and Lauren Bacall will also star.
Jim Jarmusch’s comedy "Broken Flowers" finds confirmed bachelor Bull Murray on a road trip across America to look up ex-girlfriends who might have clue about a 19-year-old son he’s purported to have. Julie Delpy, Jessica Lange and Sharon Stone contribute to the film’s colorful cast.
Mike Figgis will challenge audiences with "Coma," a documentary about his experience making a film from scratch during a weeklong master class with 20 filmmakers from all over Europe.
The feature films in competition for this year’s coveted Palme d’Or will be judged by a jury presided over by actor/director Emir Kusturica. On the jury will be Toni Morrison (Author – America), Nandita Das (Actress – India), Salma Hayak (Actress – Mexico), Agnes Varda (Director – France), John Woo (Director – China), Faith Akin (Director – Germany), Javier Bardem (Actor – Spain) and Benoit Jacquot (Director – France).
