With four films in Official Selection at this year's Cannes International Film Festival, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment has taken the dominating position.
Ridicule, directed by Patrice Leconte (Monsieur Hire, Le mari de la coiffeuse), was selected to open the event on 9 May. Screening in competition, this comedy of wit and manners set in the court of Louis XVI of France, stars Fanny Ardant, Charles Berling, Bernard Giraudeau and Jean Rochefort.
Previous Palme d'Or winners with Barton Fink, the Coen brothers return to Cannes with Fargo, a critical and commercial hit in the US where it grossed US$15 million to date. Fargo screens in competition.
Jaco van Dormael's Le huitième jour, starring Daniel Auteuil, Miou Miou and Pascal Duquenne, also screens in competition. Van Dormael's previous film, and his directorial debut, Toto-le-héros, won the Caméra d'Or in 1991.
Screening out-of-competition is Danny Boyle's Trainspotting, a huge and controversial hit in the UK where it has already grossed US$15 million, making it the third highest grossing British film of all time. Starring Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Kelly MacDonald, this Channel 4 presentation is written by BAFTA winner John Hodge. PolyGram holds rights for the UK, Benelux, Spain, Australia and France.
Another film, Michael Winterbottom's Jude, is selected for the Directors' Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival.
© 1996 - MOVING PICTURES INTERNATIONAL
