Britain can boast two feature films in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The first by veteran film director Ken Loach is “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” with Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham, Padraic Delaney, Orla Fitzgerald, Damien Kearney, Myles Horgan on the subject of the foundation of the Irish Free State. This is the eighth film by Ken Loach to be selected by the festival.

The other film in competition is the first feature film by a young filmmaker Andrea Arnold (who has already won an Oscar for her short film “Wasp”). The title of the new feature, set in Scotland, is “Red Road” starring Kate Dickie, Tony Curran, Martin Compson and Natalie Press. The British Council is proud to note that the editor of this film, Nicolas Chauderge, is a former “Entente Cordiale” scholar.

There is also a British short film in competition (“Film Noir” by Osbert Parker), a UK/USA co-production screening out of competition (“United 93” directed by Paul Greengrass), the participation of Gurinder Ghadha in the collaborative film opening the Un Certain Regard section “Paris je t’aime” and two British members of the main jury (actors Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Roth).

The UK is very well represented in the world’s most important film festival where members of the international film community will be able to make contact with the British contingent attending the festival via the UK Film Centre in the international village where the British Council runs an information stand. www.ukfilmcentre.org.uk

DATES AND LOCATION

17 – 28 May

Palais des Festivals, Cannes

Site web: www.festival-cannes.com