Cannes Film Festival

For two weeks, Cannes becomes the centre of the filmmaking world. Anyone who is anyone in the film world heads to La Croisette for this fortnight of cinematic celebration. The festival this year takes place from 14th to 25th May 2003. This year's festival pays tribute to the great Italian director Federico Fellini on the 10th anniversary of his death. Throughout the festival Fellini's films will be screened and there will be a number of events including special interpretations of the music written for Fellini.

Aside from the prestigious Palme d'Or awarded by the jury, there are many other prizes, but perhaps more importantly the Festival serves as a platform for new talent and innovatitive filmmaking.

Past winners of the Palme d'Or are Polanski's The Pianist which went on to win 3 Oscars this year; Best Actor, Director and Adapted Screenplay. British director Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and in 1960 Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita.

52 feature films will be presented during the festival this year.

There are 20 films competing In Competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or of the 2003 festival. The jury for 2003 is an international mix reflecting the various nationalities of the directors involved. Jury members include Aishwarya Rai, Bollywood star and a former Miss World, Chinese director Jiang Wen, a winner of the Grand Prix in the 2000 festival which then prompted a ban on him making films within China. The representatives from the United States are director Steven Soderbergh and actress Meg Ryan. The president of the jury is the French director Jean Rochefort.

Highlights of the films In Competition include:

Samira Makhmalbaf's A CINQ HEURES DE L'APRÈS-MIDI. This film, set in the aftermath of the downfall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, shows a young girl's attempts to make the best use of her new found freedom.

The resurgence of Brazilan Cinema is represented by CARANDIRU directed by Hector Babenco. The film is set in the largest and most overcrowded prison in South America. In the late 1980's a doctor enters the prison in Sao Paolo in order to implement an Aids prevention initiative but becomes more and more involved with the inmates. It is through the doctor that we learn about the experiences of the prisoners.

The only offering from an American director is from Hollywood veteran Clint Eastwood. MYSTIC RIVER stars Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins as three childhood friends reunited after the tragic death of one of their daughters.

DOGVILLE starring Nicole Kidman is the latest film from Danish director Lars Von Trier. The film will be the first part of a trilogy and is based around Kidman's arrival in a small town and the attitudes towards her from the established residents.

The other contenders for the Palme d'Or this year are: BRIGHT FUTURE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa) CE JOUR-LÀ ( Raoul Ruiz), ELEPHANT (Gus Van Sant), IL COURE ALTROVE ( Pupi Avati), LA PETITE LILI (Claude Miller), LES CÔTELETTES (Bertrand Blier), LES ÉGARÉS (André Téchiné), LES INVASIONS BARBARES (Denys Arcand), PÈRE ET FILS (Alexandre Sokourov), PURPLE BUTTERFLY (Ye Lou), SHARA (Naomi Kawase), SWIMMING POOL (François Ozon), THE BROWN BUNNY (Vincent Gallo), THE MOAB STORY (Peter Greenaway), TIRESIA (Bertrand Bonello) and UZAK (Nuri Bilge Ceylan).

The winner will be announced at the closing ceremony on 25th May.