Spotlight On The Director's Fortnight - Cannes 2012

The Cannes Film Festival is not all about the official selection, even though it will get most of the attention, with the bigger films and bigger names. There is also the "Un Certain Regard" section and then there is the Director's Fortnight which is completely separate from the actual festival even though it is taking place at the exact same time, but is not to be sniffed at. Indeed it has featured such directors as Coppola and Andre Techine in the past, and is opening with Michel Gondry's new film this year. With the modest accreditation level I have received, access to the official selection will be very difficult so I shall concentrate on the Director's Fortnight, and I have put the spotlight on a few promising titles this year. Look out for my proper coverage starting this Sunday once I get to Cannes.

Farewell Heather Rose! Memories From Cannes

Watching films at film festivals is like augmented reality. No popcorn smells, no lager louts, instead, a crowd of vibrant, passionate people and the chance to live some great experiences that do not involve thirty minutes of adverts. As I was having a twitter conversation about maverick Australian director Rolf De Heer last night, a precious memory from one of his films I saw in Cannes came back to me. And some investigative work on IMDB revealed a sad fact.

Not Much Love For Beloved

Les Chansons D'Amour is arguably Christophe Honore's most beloved film among his fans. So obviously when news emerged that he was at work on a new musical, Les Biens Aimes (Beloved), excitment was high, especially since it was to feature Catherine Deneuve and real life daughter Chiara Mastroianni. The film closed the Cannes Film Festival last year and did not seem to have much of an impact. It is finally out in cinemas a year later in the UK. So what is the verdict?

Cafe de Flore - Film review

This film from French Canadian writer/director Jean Marc Vallee about a DJ and his marriage breakup feels like a music video, as its plays against a backdrop of house music, 90's indie and 70's French music, hence the title Cafe de Flore (a song named after a cafe in Paris).

Sundance London 2012 Under The Rain - Part 2

So on to the second part of Sundance London. The festival actually only featured 14 films, out of which I saw 4, which is not a bad strike rate considering. The next film I saw was, aherm, an interesting experience. And the last one, a tough documentary about the war on drugs was exactly was you would want to wake up to watch early on a Sunday morning, if you had decided to kill yourself.

The London Spanish Film Festival 2012

This weekend I’ve seen two films at the London Spanish Film Festival. It’s a shame that they have more than halved the amount of films they screened this year at this festival – it used to be a whole week long, and this year, it was confined to three days. However, the two films I watched were well worth seeing.


I first saw Madrid, 1987, by David Trueba, the younger brother of the more famous Fernando Trueba, who’s film, Belle Époque, in 1992 won him recognition by being named Best Foreign Language Film at the 66th Academy Awards. David Trueba, nevertheless, has been involved in cinema since his early years – writing, directing and acting, like his older brother.

Angel and Tony - Unlikely love affair in Normandy

This is the powerful story of a mothers love for her son, and her desire to do whatever it takes to get him back. Set in a small fishing village in Normandy, Angel is a young woman who has just got our of prison and is trying to put her life back together. She moves to the village where her son is being raised by her parents-in-law, with the aim of regaining custody.