Cannes film festival to mix glamour, youth
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-23 08:43

Hollywood stars from Charlize Theron to Brad Pitt guarantee glamour on the red carpet at next month's Cannes film festival but they will share the spotlight with a strong lineup of young, lesser known film makers. "The festival wanted to take a chance on youth and put new filmmakers on the world map," artistic director Thierry Fremaux said in a statement. "Their names are unknown or little known by the general public and their inclusion is quite unexpected."

Prominent directors including the Coen brothers and Wong Kar-wai vie, in a field of 18, with a dozen newcomers to Europe's top movie showcase.

They include French filmmaker and actress Agnes Jaoui, whose directorial debut The Taste of Others was nominated for a best foreign-language film Oscar in 2001, and 28-year-old German director Hans Weingartner.

The Coen brothers, with their remake of the classic The Ladykillers starring Tom Hanks, will represent the United States alongside documentary maker Michael Moore and Shrek 2, the sequel to the animated box office hit about a green giant.

Stephen Hopkins will present The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, a biography of the famed comedian starring Geoffrey Rush and Charlize Theron.

Europe takes a back seat in this edition of the world’s most famous film festival. There are three French films and one each from Italy, Germany and Bosnia, with no British entries.

Quentin Tarantino, director of Pulp Fiction, will head the nine-member jury that also includes Hollywood star Kathleen Turner, French sexpot Emmanuelle Beart and edgy British actress Tilda Swinton.