India missing from this year's Cannes hopefuls

Gautaman Bhaskaran

Paris, Apr 7 (PTI) Although the official line-up for the
62nd Cannes Film Festival will be announced here later this
month, Indian entries are missing from the list of this year's
Cannes probables.

The Indian flavour permeated this year's Academy awards
with 'Slumdog Millionaire' winning eight Oscars and
documentary 'Smile Pinki' bagging another trophy but there
seems to be no buzz about the Indian presence in the festival,
which begins on May 13.

The two main attractions at this year's festival would
be Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglorious Basterds' and Terry
Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,' the last film
of late Heath Ledger, both being strong contenders for the
prestigious Golden Palm Award, the top prize at the festival.

Gilliam, who will be competing at the festival after
over a decade, is likely to bring along with him the stars of
the film -- Johnny Depp and Jude Law. Both actors have played
different parts that Ledger would have if he was alive.

The other festival pets, likely to troop into the French
Riviera are -- Spanish master Pedro Almodovar with his 'Broken
Embraces', Danish director Lars von Trier, who could debut his
genre-tinged 'Antichrist'.

Another Croisette (the Cannes beach front) favourite Ang
Lee's period canvas 'Taking Woodstock' is expected to be a
part of the festival if it finishes on time. Todd Solondz's
'Forgiveness' also has an excellent chance at the festival if
it is completed on time.

The Coen Brothers' coming-of-age tale 'A Serious Man'
and Steven Soderbergh's 'The Informant' a business thriller,
are also hopeful sprinters. Similarly, Alejandro Gonzalez
Inarritu's 'Biutiful' could be in if the post-production work
is completed before mid-May.

Francis Ford Coppola's 'Tetro', which is about the
rivalry between artists in a large Italian family, is also a
probable at the festival.

Alejandro Amenabar's 'Agora' a highly emotional
historical drama starring Rachel Weisz is also considered a
hot possibility, as is Ken Loachs 'Looking for Eric', a soccer
adventure.

Jane Campion is reportedly pushing her 'Bright Star'
a romantic tale of poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. The film
will mark her return to the festival after six years.

Austrian director Michael Haneke is likely to be back
at Cannes to unspool 'Das Weisse Band' a story set in a rural
German school at the beginning of World War I.

Turkish-German director Fatih Akin's comedy 'Soul
Kitchen' is yet another strong competitor.

Bong Joon Ho, the man behind Korean monster epic,
'The Host' will unveil 'Mother' while genre specialist Johnnie
To will present the Hong Kong revenge picture 'Vengeance'
and Chinese helmer Lu Chuan may debut his 'City of Life and
Death' on the Nanking massacre. PTI GB
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