French Class Tops Cannes Honors

(NEWSER) - The Cannes Film Festival unveiled this year’s roster today, and it’s packed with regulars like Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar, and Terry Gilliam, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Among the most buzzed-about selections is Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s violent World War II pic. Anticipation is also high for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; Heath Ledger’s last film, directed by Gilliam, will screen out of competition. More»

Commercial market hardly assured for Soderbergh's 4½-hour biopic

(NEWSER) - Steven Soderbergh’s much-anticipated Che Guevara biopic debuted last night at Cannes, and critics agree on at least two points: It was really, really long, and American audiences might never get to see it. A tough sell to distributors, the 4½-hour Che focuses almost entirely on military procedure, with mirror halves depicting first the successful Cuban revolution, then the failed Bolivian one. More»

Blockbusters and indies premiere on the Riviera

(NEWSER) - The Cannes Film Festival gets under way today with the premiere of Blindness, a new film by City of God director Fernando Meirelles that stars Julianne Moore. A jury led by Sean Penn will award the Palme d'or to one of 22 films. But as the Telegraph reports, paparazzi will be swarming to two premieres out of competition: Jack Black's Kung Fu Panda and the newest Indiana Jones film. More»

Gus Van Sant wins special Cannes 60th anniversary award

(NEWSER) - A disturbing Romanian film about two college coeds trying to get an illegal abortion in the twilight days of the communist regime won this year's Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival yesterday. The low-budget 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days was a critical favorite at the festival, known for bizarre judging. More»

Michael Haneke love story left audiences in tears

(NEWSER) - And the Palme d'Or goes to ... director Michael Haneke for his heartbreaking film, Love (Amour). The tragic story of an elderly couple facing the inevitability of death left Cannes Film Festival audiences in tears, Reuters reports. "A very, very big thanks to my actors who have made this film," said Haneke, who also won in 2009 for The White Ribbon. "It's their film. They are the essence of this film." More»