Telefilm Canada is currently accepting entries for the Canadian Pre-Selection Screenings in Montréal for the 63rd FESTIVAL DE CANNES, including the Official Selection (Competition, Out of Competition, Un Certain Regard), the Directors’ Fortnight and the Semaine de la Critique.

Registration deadline with Telefilm Canada : February 12, 2010

The Cannes Film Festival is the most important festival in the world: close to 40,000 accredited professionals and 4,000 journalists attended the Festival.

The Festival and the parallel sections waive their entry fees for films submitted at the Screenings in Montréal.

For further information, contact Céline Pelletier (pelletc@telefilm.gc.ca) by phone at 514 283-6363 or 1 800 567-0890.

Applications are available @ http://bit.ly/awScfb

The Cannes Film Festival has announced that Tim Burton will head up the jury for the 63rd running of the event this May. Burton previously served on Isabelle Adjani’s jury in 1997 while his “Ed Wood ” screened in competition at the festival in 1995.

In a press release, Burton said, “After spending my early life watching triple features and 48-hour horror movie marathons, I’m finally ready for this. It’s a great honor and I look forward, with my fellow jurors, to watching some great films from around the world. When you think of Cannes you think of world cinema. And as films have always been like dreams to me, this is a dream come true.”

Cannes president Gilles Jacob noted, “It’s the first time an artist whose origins are in animation will preside over the jury of the Festival de Cannes. A filmmaker with a heart of gold and silver hands, Tim Burton is first and foremost a poet. He’s a magician of visual delights who turns the screen into a fairy wonder. We hope his sweet madness and gothic humor will pervade the Croisette, bringing Christmas to all. Christmas and Halloween…”

The announcement of the jury president, which generally comes in January each year — albeit usually earlier than today’s announcement — heralds the beginning of the long but swift-paced march to the Croisette in May.

The official press conference of the competition films will be held, as usual, in mid-late April.

The festival runs May 12 to 23.

By Roger Ebert  (Sundance Journal) on January 22, 2010

There’s something I left out of my first post from Sundance. I thought it might come across wrong. Something else happened at the press conference with Robert Redford and John Cooper that meant a great deal to me.

After the event was over and everybody was standing up in the aisle and pulling on their goose down jackets, I looked up and saw Redford making his way through the crowd. He wanted to say hello to me. He as he wanted to welcome me back to Sundance after the three years I missed. “You were here at the start,” he said. “You’ve always been a help to us.” Well, it’s true. But in fact the story says more about Redford than it does about me.

I was here when Sundance was known as the U.S. Film and Video Festival. It’s not remembered that there was actually some resentment when Redford reinven ted the festival. In opening that first Sundance, he said he was an independent, too. That inspired some raised eyebrows. Redford had for years been one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Yes, he had the “independent spirit” in the films he directed. But he didn’t have indie budgets.

To continue reading visit Rogert Ebert’s Blog: http://bit.ly/4u2Zww

The Ciné Institute, based in Jacmel on Haiti’s southern coast, was completely destroyed in Tuesday’s earthquake.

 The Ciné Institute provided Haitian youth with film education and edutainment, technical training, and media related micro enterprise opportunities. It is now gone. BUT…the students (all of whom survived) went back into the rubble of their building and found their cameras. And they are now shooting – making a visual record of Haitians (by Haitians) during this crisis.

What can we do? The Institute relies on the support of individuals, organizations and film professionals from around the world to support a movement that harnesses the power of film to educate and create opportunity for Haiti’s youth. Check out the website and donate anything you can to help rebuild the school – and give these passionate students hope for their future. http://www.cineinstitute.com (Source: Peter D. Marshall – filmmaker)

The international trailer for Roman Polanski’s latest film, The Ghost Writer, has hit the Internet. Translation: Don’t mind the French subtitles. Ewan McGregor plays a writer helping a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan, acting quite the badass) complete his memoir — if what he uncovers doesn’t get him killed. Kim Cattrall appears to have a role that will require her to have zero sex. Fascinating!