3 French feature films and one short are to be showcased today, Wednesday, May 22, on the Croisette.
"The Man Without A Past" ("Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä") by Aki Kaurismaki at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, 8.30 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Selected in the official competition at the 1996 Cannes Festival for his film "Drifting Clouds" ("Kauas Pilvet Karkaavat"), winner of the Ecumenical Prize, this Finnish screenwriter, director, editor and producer returns to the Croisette this year with "The Man Without A Past." An epic drama that opens with the arrival in Helsinki of a man without a name who is severely beaten up at the first opportunity, the film was produced by Pyramide Productions and Arte France Cinéma (distributed by Pyramide).
Un Certain Regard:
"Rachida" by Yamina Bachir-Chouikh, Théâtre Debussy (2 p.m. and 10 p.m.)
The debut feature by this Algerian director, "Rachida" traces the path of a young Algerian school teacher who, fleeing from the violence in Algiers during the worst years of terrorist acts, moves with her mother to a small village.
The film, in the running for the Camera d'Or, was produced by Arte France Cinéma, Canal+, the Fondation Gan and ADC Sud.
Directors' Fortnight:
"Apartment #5C" by Raphaël Nadjari.
After "The Shades," loosely based on the Dostoyevsky's novel, "A Gentle Creature," and "I'm Josh Polonski's Brother," Raphaël Nadjari focuses his attention on Nicky and Ouri, two Israelis freshly arrived in New York, who, after trials and tribulations, set themselves up in Brooklyn in the very modest apartment #5C...
The film was produced by Martin Karmitz (MK2), Les Films Alain Sarde, BVNG Productions, Cinema Factory (Israel) and 2.1 Films (USA).
It is worth noting that "Le Vigile," the latest short film by Frédéric Pelle, director of "Des Morceaux De Ma Femme" and "Le Corbeau," both multi-award winners in numerous festivals both in France and abroad, is to be presented today as part of Critics' Week. The film was produced by Bianca Films. It will be followed by "Chicken Heart" by the Japanese director Hiroshi Shimizu.
