Cannes I have your attention please?

Cannes Film Festival 2011

Straight 8 Competition 2011

Sleeping Beauty - Julia Leigh

I Skin I live in - Pedro Almodovar

We Need to Talk about Kevin - Lynne Ramsay

The Tree of Life - Terence Malick

To celebrate our Director KEZIA screening her Straight 8 Entry ‘Rouge Amour’ at this years Cannes Film Festival, we felt its only right to take a look at some of this years Feature Film finalists.

For female directors worldwide, this year has been quite a filmic milestone, with four out of the nineteen features shortlisted for the Palme D’or, directed by woman. This might be down to a lot of harsh criticism after last years Male dominated selection, no one is quite sure what happens behind the closed doors of Cannes, but the competition is very high, with a really good mix of old and new talent in the running.

Here are four shortlisted films I recommend you look out for:

SLEEPING BEAUTY – Julia Leigh
Lucy (Emily Browning) is a pale quiet creature who spends her nights drugged on a floating bed, in a large mansion, for the pleasure of rich powerful men and money.
It’s a brutal story, but with undertones of the original fairytale entwined. Julia took Inspiration from writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who also wrote a similar story, but told from the point of view of the Older Man.
“When my first novel, ‘The Hunter,’ was published, I had a compelling nightmare that I was being filmed in my sleep. It was very real. I became aware of how vulnerable we are asleep and how, when we awake, we edit out our vulnerable sleeping state and stitch together our days to create our narrative.”
There is an element of vulnerability to this film, and its main character, which I’m sure will captivate the audience. It’s a twisted coming of age story that blurs the boundaries of dreams and reality.
Julia is Australian born and this is her first Directorial feature.

THE SKIN I LIVE IN – Pedro Almodovar
Described as a thriller come horror, this new installment from Spanish Director Pedro Almodovar (Bad Education, Talk to her) is a change to his traditional genre, but is receiving a lot of coverage at the festival so far.
Antonio Banderas plays Dr Robert Ledgard, a psychotic plastic surgeon obsessed with creating a new human skin that can survive any physical assault, after loosing his wife in a horrific car accident twelve years ago. In order to test his invention, he must first find a guinea pig….
This story is loosely based on the book ‘Tarantula” by Thierry Jonquet, which centers around a plastic surgeon who seeks revenge for the rape of his daughter.
Expect subtle gore and lots of nervous anticipation.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsey
A harrowing insight into the trauma that engulfs a mother after her son goes on a school killing spree. Tilda Swinton plays the mother, living through the aftermath of her son’s actions. She is repeatedly abused and assaulted by bereaving parents, and spends most of her days reliving her sons life, trying to figure out if any of this horrible scenario is her fault. This film is visually stunning, with immense attention to detail and an intelligent use of colour, sound and iconic imagery.
Lynne Ramsey has been off the radar for more than ten years but critics believe this new feature will re-ignite her film career.
This film is subtly thought provoking and skin peelingly intimate.

THE TREE OF LIFE – Terence Malick
This film received a very warm welcome at Cannes and shall be in US cinemas on 27th May but UK release is still undecided.
Set in the 1950’s, this film follows the life of Jack, a somewhat tortured soul, plagued by his past but mostly, by the complicated relationship he had with his disciplinarian father, played by Brad Pitt.
The film floats between the realms of reality and philosophy, jumping from Jack’s childhood memories to bizarre pre-historic scenery or sights of far off universes.
This film has a big vision, and will definitely not appeal to everyone’s taste, similar to Darren Aronofsky’s ‘The Fountain’ where the flow can be hard to follow, and the overall plot quite a mind boggling concept.
It is best described as ‘Marmite’. You’ll either love it or Hate it.

• This film was announced winner 22nd May 2011.