7 films added to Cannes film fest line-upApril 30, 2012 - 19:09 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Franck Khalfoun's "Maniac," Gilles Bourdos' "Renoir" and Adam Leon's "Gimme the Loot" have been added to the 65th Cannes Film Festival's official selection, Variety reported. Cannes artistic chief Thierry Fremaux's inclusion of "Maniac," a Midnight Screening, is sure to spark Croisette buzz. An English-language remake of William Lustig's rabidly brutal serial-killer classic, now starring Elijah Wood and written by Alexandre Aja and long-time partner Gregory Lavasseur, "Maniac" is the latest production from Thomas Langmann's Paris-based La Petite Reine, producer of "The Artist." Fremaux's promotion of "The Artist" to Cannes competition last year set the film on course to Oscar glory. Pic is being sold by Wild Bunch. "Renoir," which is produced by Fidelite Film, will close Un Certain Regard. The pic, which is also repped by Wild Bunch, captures the French painter Auguste Renoir in his twilight years. Another Un Certain Regard screener and Leon's feature debut, urban comedy "Loot" scored a Sundance Selects pick-up for North and Latin America off a South by Southwest grand jury prize in March. A third and final addition to Un Certain Regard is "Djeca" (Children), a Bosnian war orphan drama from Aida Begic, a Critics' Week winner in 2008 with "Snow." Brit Candida Brady's docu feature "Trashed," about consumer waste, receives a special screening. Australian first-timer Wayne Blair's "The Sapphires," a bigscreen version of the Australian stage musical, is a second Midnight Screening. The Bela Tarr-produced archive footage film "Final Cut - Holgyeim Es Uraim," helmed by Gyorgy Palfi ("Taxidermia"), closes Cannes Classics. The festival runs May 16-27. Top stories Ara Aivazian said Azerbaijan continues the traditions of Turkey after seizing territories and forced Armenians out. The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |