Cannes Lags On Film Picks
Hollywood Reporter, April 9, 2002

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) — The 55th Festival de Cannes may be just five weeks away, but the selection process is running behind schedule this year. That, in turn, has left filmmakers and distributors worldwide sitting by their fax machines and e-mail boxes as they nervously wait to learn their fate.

With just two weeks to go until the official selection for the festival is unveiled, more movies are awaiting the green light to travel to the Croisette than have so far been given a definite slot at the festival. And, with the event kicking off May 15, a week or so later than usual because of presidential elections in France, the selection process has been delayed.

Artistic director Thierry Fremaux and his team still have several movies to see, and Fremaux has yet to commit on the majority of projects seen on recent trips to New York and London. Consequently, there are few certainties about the movies jury president David Lynch and his fellow jurors will have before them.

"It's not that (Cannes officials) are being secretive," one French distributor said. "They're incredibly behind. It's going to cause problems for distributors looking to program their films according to whether they get a slot."

Although festival president Gilles Jacob has made a point of saying Fremaux has the last word on movies, observers will be closely scrutinizing this year's selection for evidence of a fresh editorial stance. But the likelihood is that tried-and-tested art-house names will dominate.

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Notable absentees on the Croisette will include Palme d'Or winner Lars von Trier, who will not be accompanying his latest movie, Dogville, starring Nicole Kidman, which has only just wrapped and will not be ready in time. It is also unclear whether von Trier's fellow Dogme pioneer, Thomas Vinterberg, will have his movie It's All About Love, starring Claire Danes and Joaquin Phoenix, finished in time.