5/20/12

The Cannes Film Festival started a few days ago. Still the most sought after festival by filmmakers and stars alike, it is known for screening the best of all genres – and where are the German entries? Under SPECIAL SCREENINGS I found the documentary MÜLL IM GARTEN EDEN (POLLUTING PARADISE) directed by Fatih AKIN and in SHORT FILMS GASP directed by Eicke BETTINGA. That’s it. If you browse through the program don’t forget to check out the Director’s Fortnight, a non-competitive sidebar not listed under Official Selection: http://www.quinzaine-realisateurs.com/2012-selection-h201.html From its initial program in 1969, the Director’s Fortnight created a breeding ground for prestigious auteurs, like Werner Herzog, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Michael Haneke, Jim Jarmusch, Sophia Coppola and many others. Michel Gondry’s latest THE WE AND I opened the series.

My spy at the festival is my daughter Milena, the cinematographer of THE BALLAD OF FINN + YETI, which will be shown in the short film competition of the Cinefondation. She was blown away by BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD , a Sundance 2012 favorite directed by Benh ZEITLIN. And Michael Haneke’s LOVE moved her to tears, very very sad, she said, another masterpiece.