Marco Tullio Giordana, the Italian director of politically concious films such as La meglio gioventù (The Best of Youth) and Quando sei nato non puoi più nasconderti (Once You're Born You Can No Longer Hide), has started filming on Sangue pazzo (lit. Crazy Blood) another story that delves into the sociopolitical side of recent Italian history. The film tells the true life stories of Luisa Ferida and Osvaldo Valenti, two popular actors from the Italian Fascist-era cinema that were tortured and finally killed by partisans after the end of WWII. Sangue pazzo stars Monica Bellucci (N - Io e Napoleone/N - Napoleon and Me) and Luca Zingaretti (I Giorni dell'abbandono/Days of Abandonment) and co-stars Alessio Boni (who starred in both Giordana's La meglio gioventù and Quando sei nato...). (source: cineuropa)

French actor Michaël Youn in the dark in Bruno Merle's Cannes' Critics' Week opener 'Héros' (Hero). Photo (c): Jaïr Sfez/Rezo Films, 2007. All rights reserved.

The Official Selection of the 60th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will be announced on Thursday, but some information has already been made public, including the selection of the Bruno Merle thriller Héros (Hero) as the opening film of Cannes' Critics' Week. The opening and closing ceremonies will be hosted by German model-turned-actress Diane Kruger, who is perhaps most famous for her roles in US productions National Treasure and Troy but who also starred in several French films including Les brigades du Tigre (The Tiger Brigades) and Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas). This year's masterclass will be given by recent Oscar-winner Martin Scorcese (The Departed), who will also officially unveil his World Cinema Foundation. As for jury presidents: British director and Oscar-nominee Stephen Frears (The Queen) will guide the Official Competion jury; French director Pascale Ferran (Lady Chatterley) will preside over the Un certain regard jury and Mexican actor Gael García Bernal (La mala educaciòn/Bad Education) will head the Critics' Week jury.