PARIS (AFP) — Despite his giant standing in film, Clint Eastwood is "gentleman" enough to take the risk of entering his latest movie in the race for the top prize at Cannes and go home empty-handed, says the head of the film festival.
Ahead of the 12-day event, set to open here on Wednesday, Thierry Fremaux talks about the problems of selecting the 22 movies lined up to compete for the coveted Palme d'Or.
This year, a total of 1,792 feature films from 96 countries were submitted to Fremaux's team for screening at the world's paramount film festival.
Also showing, but not in competition, are a number of other movies that were selected, included arguably this year's most-awaited Hollywood blockbuster,: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
AFP: Did certain parts of the world offer more films than others?
Fremaux: Latin America, notably Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, confirmed the vitality of the continent's film industry, while the United States showed its cinema was in great health, as it was in 2007. Parts of Europe had a lot to offer, with Italy back in competition after being absent last year. The biggest surprise came from Asian nations that are rarely selected for the top crop at Cannes, such as Singapore and the Philippines.
Q: Clint Eastwood is back vying for the Palme in spite of mixed acclaim at Cannes for his 2003 entry "Mystic River". Was it difficult to convince him to return?
A: No. In fact he contacted us in mid-April. And it was Eastwood who asked to be in competition, running the risk of not winning a prize. Clint Eastwood is a gentleman, and a young man.
Q: Is Cannes the right place for Hollywood blockbusters such as "Indiana Jones"?
A: Yes. A film is a film. There is no such thing as a hyper-movie and a lesser-movie. Events and glamour are as much a part of the history of the Cannes film festival as are auteur films, and there is an intangible principle -- that a mega US production cohabit at the filmfest with one by a young director from the Philippines. Films protect each other. And don't forget that this particular blockbuster was made by none other than Steven Spielberg, one of the greatest directors of the times.
Q: Many of the films were chosen at the very last minute. Why is this?
A: To get the best line-up possible. Film-making has changed over the years and today's digital post-production methods have turned the whole scene on its head. You have to be both highly proactive and cool. The fact that we waited and waited meant we can now offer films by Clint Eastwood, Steven Soderbergh, Charlie Kaufmann, James Gray, Walter Salles and Lucrecia Martel. We only had confirmation the films would be ready a few hours before announcing the official selection at a press conference that we had had to delay by a week.
Q: Will the festival be showing the final cut of the film and did you have to pressure some directors to finish in time for Cannes?
A: Organising the festival is a race against time each and every year. We rarely see the final cut, the editing hasn't been completed, the musical score is provisional, the sound is raw and there are no special effects or credits. But as soon as a film is selected the process speeds up. All the films will be ready on time.
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