European Films

The selection of the 2007 Semaine international de la critique or International Critics' Week in Cannes was revealed today, with Spanish-language fare dominating the roster of 17 films presided over by the ambassador of this edition: Mexican actor Gael García Bernal. The star of Almodóvar's La mala educación (Bad Education), Cannes' opening film in 2004, and Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel, which played in Competition in Cannes last year, will not only head the Critics' Week jury but will also present Déficit, his first film as a director, as a "very special screening" during the Critics' Week. European films in competition include Nos retrouvailles from French director David Oelhoffen and Voleurs de chevaux (Horse Thieves) from Belgium's Micha Wald.The French thriller Héros will open the Critics' Week.

Nos retrouvailles (lit. Our Meeting Again) tells the story of a father and his 20-year-old son who try to get closer again after several years. It stars veteran Jacques Gamblin as well as Nicolas Giraud and Jacques Spiesser. Micha Wald's debut feature film Voleurs de chevaux stars Grégoire Colin (Beau travail) and Adrien Jolivet (Zim & Co.) as two young men who happen to be overly protective of their younger brothers. Violence and blood binds them inextricably together. The competition includes a total of seven films; the others are from Israel, Argentina, Japan, Brazil and Mexico.  All features in competition are first films except for the Brazilian entry.

Other European films that are part of this year's Critics' Week package include Andrey Paounov's Bulgarian documentary The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories, the genre film El orfanato (The Orphanage) from Spain's Juan Antonio Bayona and the French À l'intérieur (Inside) from directing duo Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. All three films are part of the Critics' Week Special Screenings, as are the opening film Héros and the closing film Expired, from US director Cecilia Miniucchi.

Another Spanish film, Yo (Me) from Rafa Cortés, will be screened as the "FIPRESCI Revelation of the Year". It was part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January and won the Critics' Prize there. The film stars Spanish-German actor and co-screenwriter Alex Brendemühl as Hans, a German handyman who tries to sort out his own life on the Spanish island of Mallorca. 

The Cannes Film Festival runs from May 16-27 and european-films.net will cover the entire event live with reviews, interviews and red carpet photos. 

Feature Films in Competition

• Nos retrouvailles - David Oelhoffen  (France)
• Voleurs de chevaux (Horse Thieves) - Micha Wald (Belgium)
• Meduzot (Jellyfish) - Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen (Israel)
  
• XXY - Lucia Puenzo (Argentina)
• Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! - Daihachi Yoshida  (Japan)
• A via láctea (The Milky Way) - Lina Chamie (Brazil)
• Parpados Azules - Ernesto Contreras -  (Mexico)

Special Screenings

• Opening film: Héros (lit. Heroes) - Bruno Merle (France)
• Closing film: Expired - Cecilia Miniucchi (USA)
• Documentary:The Mosquito Problem and other stories - Andrey Paounov (Bulgaria)
• Coup de coeur: El Asaltante - Pablo Fendrik (Argentina)
  

Very Special Screenings

• El orfanato (The Orphanage) - Juan Antonio Bayona (Spain)
• À l'intérieur (Inside) - Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (France)

Gael García Bernal, Ambassador of the 46th Critics’ Week

• Déficit (Deficit) - Gael García Bernal (Mexico)
  

Special Screening in the Palais

• Malos habitos (Bad Habits) - Simon Bross (Mexico)

FIPRESCI Revelation of the Year

• Yo (Me) - Rafa Cortés (Spain)
  

RFI Screening

• Ezra - Newton Aduaka (Nigeria)