Coen Brothers, Polanski, Soderbergh films in Cannes lineup

PanARMENIAN.Net - Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Inside Llewyn Davis,” Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Only God Forgives” and Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska” are among the films screening in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, director Thierry Fremaux announced, according to TheWrap.

In a surprise, Steven Sobergergh’s HBO movie “Behind the Candleabra,” starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as his lover Scott Thorson, was given a slot in the main competition; it was widely thought to be a prime candidate for an out-of-competition screening.

Also making the cut at the year's most prestigious festival: "Le Passe," the new film from "A Separation" director Asghar Farhadi; "The Immigrant," the first film in five years from James Gray; and "Wara No Tate" from prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike.

Roman Polanski landed two films at Cannes, the competition entry “Venus in Furs” and a special screening of “Week End of a Champion.”

Only one film directed by a woman, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi's "Un Chateau en Italie," made the main competition lineup. A number of female directors, including Claire Denis and Sofia Coppola, will be represented in the Un Certain Regard section.

The Coen brothers and Soderbergh are the only past Palme d'Or winners in the main competition. Payne is returning to the Croisette after a stint on the Cannes jury last year.

The Un Certain Regard section will include a couple of films directed by actors: Valeria Golino’s “Miele” and James Franco’s “As I Lay Dying.” This year’s Sundance sensation and Weinstein Company pickup, “Fruitvale Station” (formerly titled “Fruitvale”) will also receive an UCR slot.

Special screenings will include the Polanski film as well as James Toback’s “Seduced and Abandoned” and Stephen Frears’ “Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight.”

Films screening out of competition include "All Is Lost" from "Margin Call" writer-director J.C. Chandor and "Blood Ties" from French director Guillaume Canet.

The films, said Fremaux, were chosen from 1,858 films submitted to the festival.