Cannes Festival May 25 Presents Music and Films Under The Sky with The Stars

Cannes, France (rushprnews) May 2007 – Cannes Festival May 25 Presents a concert by Moriarty: In Competition: “We Own the Night” by James Gray; In Competition: “Une Vieille Maîtresse” by Catherine Breillat; Un Certain Regard: “A Wandering Bride” by Ana Katz and Made in Jamaica by Jérôme Laperrousaz.

 Tonight’s musical prelude at the outdoor theatre Cinéma de la Plage features a concert by Moriarty, five musicians and a singer named Rosemary Standley who bring their own special flavor to the acoustic western/blues genre.

Following the concert, at 9:30pm, Festival audiences will be able to discover Made in Jamaica,  the yet-to-be-released documentary by Jérôme Laperrousaz which exposes the truth about what happens to the island’s extraordinary musicians. Featuring performances by the fathers of reggae alongside the rising stars of the new generation, on stage together for the first time, the film presents the current scene on the island. The film’s theatre release is scheduled for June 13.
 

In Competition: “Une Vieille Maîtresse” by Catherine Breillat

Eleven years after the presentation in the parallel section of Perfect Love, French director Catherine Breillat is competing for the Palme d’Or for the first time with Une Vieille Maîtresse. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly, the action in this feature takes place in the mid-19th century.

Licentious young Ryno de Marigny (Fu’ad Aït Aattou) is engaged to the virginal Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida), the fine flower of the aristocracy. But ill-wishers determined to prevent the match, despite the love of Ryno and Hermangarde for each other, spread rumors that the young man will never succeed in separating from La Vellini (Asia Argento), the mistress who, for years, has been his scandalous flame.

Asked whether Une Vieille Maîtresse is likely to appeal to the general public, Catherine Breillat replied: “This is my most accessible film for the general public, and yet I did not betray myself. It is completely unlike the films I usually make in that it  does not break any taboos. I had taken that style as far as it would stretch; it was time to come back to the essentials in life: pleasure, romance, and passion. But romance is dark, which was another reason for wanting to make this film; for the romanticism, the burning passion, the terrible suffering, but without perverting the sentiments. The heart of the story portrays an ideal that topples into disaster as soon as it is reached.”

Un Certain Regard: “A Wandering Bride” by Ana Katz

Presented in Un Certain Regard, Una Novia Errante (The Wandering Bride) is the second film from Ana Katz. The 32-year-old Argentinean director was bestowed a Special Jury Prize in 2002 at the San Sebastian Festival for her first feature El Juego de la Silla (Musical Chairs). She also had a role in Whisky (2004) by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, which was screened in Un Certain Regard. With  The Wandering Bride, she continues the adventures of Ines who decides, after an argument with her friend, to spend her vacation alone.

“And it is about those who have lived indelible love scenes secretly in pain,” confesses Ana Katz, “considering that the minimum incident would uncover the veil and bring horror in…the end. And those who have walked by the hand with their lover with a lump in their throats, and have come to wish that everything would finish to avoid that moment in which it would finish. And for those who, afterwards, forgot everything. And then sometimes, started all over again.”
 

In Competition: “We Own the Night” by James Gray

Seven years after The Yards, presented in Competition, American director James Gray is back on the Croisette competing a third time for a chance at the Palme d’Or with We Own the Night. The action is set in NY in the 80s. NYPD officers and father & son (Robert Duvall and Mark Wahlberg) are caught up in a crime drama with a Russian gangster (Joaquin Phoenix) operating out of his nightclub. The assault is launched against organized crime and drug trafficking and the young police officer must decide which side he is on.

James Gray talked about the origins of the film: “The idea for the film came from a New York Times photograph of a police funeral. In the photo, all of these grown men were hugging…in tears after one of their fellow officers had been keilled in the line of duty. And the image had such a tremendous emotion. I was anxious to make something not just thrilling, but explosive, dramatic, and frankly filled with action.

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Anne Howard www.annehowardpublicist.com writer and publicist