Asia-Pacific films in the running at Cannes

Asia-Pacific films in the running at Cannes

PARIS (AFP): Three films from Asia-Pacific are in the running for the coveted Golden Palms at this year's Cannes Film Festival, competing in a field dominated by European productions, organizers announced Monday.

Chinese director Chen Kaige's Temptress Moon, Goodbye South, Goodbye by Taiwan's Hou Hao-Hsien, and Rold De Heer's The Quiet Room from Australia are among the 22 films in competition at the May 9-20 festival.

Thirteen of the remaining hail from Europe, including the French production Ridicule by Patrice Leconte, which is to open the festival in the southern French resort city.

Others in competition include Kansas City, directed by Robert Altman; Sun Chaser, from fellow American director Michael Cimino; Fargo by brothers Joel and Ethel Coen; Secrets and Lies, from British director Mike Leigh; L'enfant de la nuit (Child of the Night) by French director Jacques Audiard; and Trois vies et une seule mort (Three Lives and Only One Death), a Franco-Chilean production directed by Raul Ruiz.

Italy's Bernardo Bertolucci will also be present with Stealing Beauty.

Francis Ford Coppola will chair a jury that includes French actress Nathalie Baye, Britain's Greta Scacchi, Canadian director Atom Egoyan, French-based Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung and Japanese costume designer Eiko Ishioka.

This year's festival will also offer 20 films to be included in a special category to be called A Certain Look, aimed at both promoting new talent and presenting novel work by some established names in filmmaking.

It will include the first directorial efforts by Al Pacino, Looking For Richard, and by Angelica Huston, Bastard Out of Carolina.