The word around Paris is that the competition is taking a more mainstream turn this year. "It's a clear strategy that, if a film is too arid, it won't get a competition slot, regardless of whom the director is," one sales agent told Daily Variety. However, that message doesn't seem strongly reflected in the selections so far, which are sending out mixed signals very typical of artistic director Thierry Fremaux's reign.
Ironically, in a year when one of Asia's most celebrated directors, Wong Kar Wai, is jury prez, the 2006 official selection looks to be Asia-light compared with recent years. "Hana," Hirokazu Kore-eda's drama centered on a samurai plotting revenge on his father's killer, is the sole Asian title that looks likely to be headed for the competition.
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Traditionally, a considerable amount of juggling between sections takes place in the final weeks, and many films have still to be seen by the program committee. Fremaux also may have some real discoveries up his sleeve, though so far his selections seem to tilt toward established names and Cannes regulars.
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Several titles are not ready for Cannes, including the Steven Shainberg-helmed "Fur," a biopic of '60s photog Diane Arbus, starring Nicole Kidman; Brian De Palma's "The Black Dahlia," with Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson; and "Inland Empire," David Lynch's California-set mystery, with Laura Dern, Harry Dean Stanton and Jeremy Irons. A Studio Canal production.
