Cannes Film Festival close to finalising 2017 programme

As promised, the Cannes Film Festival has added several more films to its official line-up in the various categories. Unless the festival announces any more very last-minute Nineteen films will compete for the Golden Palm in this 70th anniversary year.

Film director Tony Gatlif at La Clef cinema in Paris. His new film 'Djam' gets a special screening on the beach at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival La Clef

The Square by Swedish director Ruben Östlund whose Snow Therapy had won the Jury Prize in the Un certain regard section in 2104, is the sole add-on in the main competition at Cannes.

However, two films more have made the grade for Un Certain Regard section this year, La Cordillera directed by Santiago Mitre, from Argentina and Walking Past the Future by Chinese director Li Ruijun.

In the Out-of-Competition section, D’après une histoire vraie (Based on a True Story), directed by 83 year-old Roman Polanski joins three films, Ismael's Ghosts, the opening film by Arnaud Desplechin, How to talk to girls at parties by John Cameron Mitchell and the Blade of the Immortal by Takashi Miike.

Based on A True Story is based on a screenplay by French director and screen writer Olivier Assayas (Personal Shopper, The Clouds of Sils Maria, Carlos…), whose screenplay is based on an award-winning thriller novel by Delphine de Vigan in which the main character is an author. Polanski won the Golden Palm and Best Director Palm in 2002 for The Pianist.

There is also a special film for children has been added to the official lists, it’s called Zombillénium and is directed by Arthur du Pins and Alexis Ducord.

As it’s the Festival’s 70th anniversary this year, to keep up the festive suspense, the organisers keep revealing highlights throughout the twelve-day programme starting on 17 May.

Among these special events, French director André Téchiné is the focus of a tribute show, with a screening of his new film Les Années Folles (The Roaring Twenties) while Tony Gatlif’s Djam will be open to all-comers and not just invitees, on the big temporary screen on the beach.