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Talking about Cannes, reminds me of Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar, the Indian film which won the grand prize in the very first year of this film fest in 1946. Recently the film was screened in Mumbai. The print has its own story. A film personality found the print lying with the bhangarwala (junk dealer). He brought it for dirt. I guess there is no other print and doubt even our prestigious film archives have it. The person then telecined it and made a dvd, which was screened at the venue. I missed the screening. But few friends, who saw the film were raving about it. I so very much want to see the film. If anyone has it please let me know! It is ridiculous how poor we are at documenting our gems. Its not so easy to find films of masters our country has produced. The other winners I can think off top of my mind are Mira Nair, who won the Golden Camera for Salam Mumbai; Murali Nair won Golden Camera for ‘Marana Simhasanam'; Shahji Karun achieved special mention in Golden camera for Piravi. There might be few others, but that's what I can remember, please include in comment section if you can add to the list. As we all know how rare it is to find a feature from India in competition or in any category at Cannes. I recollect reading few years back in our prestigious Indian newspaper, with highest readership quoting, “ the only film from India this year was Murali Nair's dismal ‘Arimpara'.”(I think that was the film selected in one of the categories, if not correct me). The same newspaper prints volumes of pictures and articles of our film stars going to the festival who hog lime light, even when they have nothing to do with Cannes…They are there to promote some products or God knows what other than contributing to quality cinema. That's the state of our media awareness. Here is the official list released on 23rd consisting the juries and films, which would be screened in this year in various categories:-

THE JURIES OF THE 61st FESTIVAL

Feature Film Jury

Sean PENN, President
(American actor, director, screenwriter)
Sergio CASTELLITTO (Italian actor, director, screenwriter)
Natalie PORTMAN (Israeli-American actress)
Alfonso CUARON (Mexican director)
Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL (Thai director)
Alexandra Maria LARA (German actress)
Rachid BOUCHAREB (French director)

Cinéfondation and Short Film Jury

HOU Hsiao Hsien, President
(Taiwanese director et producer)
Suzanne BIER (Danish director)
Marina HANDS (French actress)
Olivier ASSAYAS (French director)
Larry KARDISH (MoMA Curator for Film and Cinema, American)

Un Certain Regard Jury

Fatih AKIN, President
(German director)
Caméra d’or Jury
Bruno DUMONT, President
(French director)

14-25 MAI 2008
THE COMPETITION

***
Nuri Bilge CEYLAN - ÜÇ MAYMUN - 1h49
(THREE MONKEYS)
Jean-Pierre et Luc DARDENNE - LE SILENCE DE LORNA - 1h45
Arnaud DESPLECHIN - UN CONTE DE NOËL - 2h30
Clint EASTWOOD -CHANGELING - 2h20
Atom EGOYAN -ADORATION- 1h40
Ari FOLMAN -WALTZ WITH BASHIR - 1h27
Philippe GARREL -LA FRONTIÈRE DE L’AUBE - 1h40
Matteo GARRONE -GOMORRA - 2h15
(Gomorrah)
JIA Zhangke -24 CITY - 1h47
Charlie KAUFMAN -SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK 1st film - 2h04
Eric KHOO -MY MAGIC - 1h15
Lucrecia MARTEL -LA MUJER SIN CABEZA- 1h27
Brillante MENDOZA -SERBIS - 1h30
Kornel MUNDRUCZO -DELTA - 1h32
Daniela THOMAS, Walter SALLES -LINHA DE PASSE - 1h48
Steven SODERBERGH -CHE - 4h00
(Shot on RED!, consists of 2, 2 hr films ‘Guriella’, ‘Argentine’)
Paolo SORRENTINO - IL DIVO - 1h50
Pablo TRAPERO -LEONERA - 1h50
Wim WENDERS -THE PALERMO SHOOTING- 2h04

14-25 MAI 2008
UN CERTAIN REGARD

BONG Joon Ho, Michel GONDRY, -TOKYO! - 1h50
Leos CARAX
Antonio CAMPOS -AFTERSCHOOL 1st film - 2h02
CHUNG Mong-Hong -TING CHE 1st film - 1h55
(Parking)
Thomas CLAY -SOI COWBOY - 1h57
RAYMOND DEPARDON -LA VIE MODERNE - 1h28
(The Modern Life)
Andreas DRESEN -WOLKE 9 - 1h36
(Cloud 9)
Sergey DVORTSEVOY -TULPAN 1st film - 1h40
Amat ESCALANTE -LOS BASTARDOS - 1h30
Joana HADJITHOMAS, Khalil JE -VEUX VOIR - 1h15
JOREIGE
Bent HAMER -O’ HORTEN - 1h30
Annemarie JACIR -MILH HADHA AL-BAHR 1st film- 1h49
(Salt Of This Sea)
KUROSAWA Kiyoshi -TOKYO SONATA - 1h35
LIU Fendou -YI BAN HAISHUI, YI BAN HUOYAN - 2h10
(Part Ocean, Part Flame)
Matheus NACHTERGAELE -A FESTA DA MENINA MORTA 1st film - 1h50
(The Dead Girl’s Feast)
Ruben ÖSTLUND -DE OFRIVILLIGA 1st film - 1h40
(Involuntary)
Kelly REICHARDT -WENDY AND LUCY - 1h25
(Wendy Et Lucy)

Jean-Stéphane SAUVAIRE -JOHNNY MAD DOG - 1h36
Pierre SCHOELLER -VERSAILLES 1st film - 1h53
James TOBACK -TYSON - 1h30

Out of Competition:

Woody ALLEN -VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA- 1h30

KIM Jee-woon -THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD - 2h
(Le Bon, la Brute, le Cinglé)

Mark OSBORNE -KUNG FU PANDA - 1h35
John STEVENSON

Steven SPIELBERG -INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM
OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL -
(Indiana Jones et le royaume du crane de cristal) 2h05

Midnight Screenings:

Emir KUSTURICA -MARADONA - 1h30

Jennifer LYNCH -SURVEILLANCE - 1h38

NA Hong-Jin -THE CHASER 1st film - 2h03

Special Screenings:

Terence DAVIES -OF TIME AND CITY- 1h10

Abel FERRARA -CHELSEA HOTEL- 1h22

Marco Tullio GIORDANA -SANGUEPAZZO - 2h28

Daniel LECONTE -C’EST DUR D’ÊTRE AIMÉ PAR DES CONS - 1h57

WONG Kar Wai -ASHES OF TIME REDUX - 1h33

Marina ZENOVICH -ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED -1st film - 1h39

The Jury President's Screening :-

Alison THOMPSON - THE THIRD WAVE - 1h46

14-25 MAI 2008
SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION

Julius AVERY -JERRYCAN - 13m
Marie BENITO -EL DESEO - 13m
(The Desire)
MARIAN CRISAN -MEGATRON - 14m
Dániel ERDÉLYI -411-Z - 7m
Mélanie LAURENT -DE MOINS EN MOINS - 7m
Anthony LUCAS -MY RABIT HOPPY - 3m
Javier PALLEIRO, Guillermo -BUEN VIAJE- 12m
ROCAMORA (Good Trip)
Rúnar RÚNARSSON -SMÁFUGLAR- 15m
(Two Birds)
Sam TAYLOR-WOOD -LOVE YOU MORE- 15m

14-25 MAI 2008
CINEFONDATION

Ciprian ALEXANDRESCU -INTERIOR. SCARA DE BLOC-
National University for (Interior. Bloc of Flats Hallway)
Film and Drama, Romania

Marco BERGER - EL RELOJ -
Universidad del Cine, Argentina (The Watch)

Johanna BESSIERE, Cécile DUBOIS HERRY -BLIND SPOT
Simon ROUBY, Nicolas CHAUVELOT,
Olivier CLERT, Yvon JARDEL
Gobelins, Ecole de l'Image, France

Claire BURGER - FORBACH
La fémis, France

Rob ELLENDER -ILLUSION DWELLERS
Royal College of Art, United Kingdom

Lukáš GLASER -NAUS
FAMU, Czech Republic

JIANG Xuan -BA YUE SHI WU
(August 15th)
California Institute of the Arts, United States

Elad KEIDAN - HIMNON
(Anthem)
The Sam Spiegel Film and TV School, Israel

Juho KUOSMANEN -KESTOMERKITSIJÄT
(Roadmarkers)
University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland

André LAVAQUIAL -O SOM E O RESTO
(Sound and The Rest)
Escola de Cinema Darcy Ribeiro, Brazil

Diana MKRTCHYAN -GATA
High Courses of Screenwriters and Directors, Russia

Hadar MORAG -SHTIKA
(Silence)
Tel-Aviv University, Israel

PARK Jae-ok -STOP
KAFA, South Korea

Heidi SAMAN
Temple University, United States -THE MAID

Jan SPECKENBACH -GESTERN IN EDEN
(The Other Day in Eden)
DFFB, Germany

Teressa TUNNEY -THIS IS A STORY ABOUT TED AND ALICE
Columbia University, United States

YOON Sung-A -ET DANS MON COEUR J'EMPORTERAI
(And I'll Keep In My Heart)
INSAS, Belgium

For more info visit:-
http://www.festival-cannes.fr/