Only Lovers Left Alive director Jim Jarmusch.
Cannes Adds Films Including Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive
The Festival de Cannes added five titles, including two to its Official Selection on Friday. Jim Jarmusch's latest, Only Lovers Left Alive, joins the competition at the festival, which takes place May 15 – 26 in the South of France. Claude Lanzmann's Le Dernier Des Injustes will screen Out of Competition. Three films join the Un Certain Regard lineup: My Sweet Pepperland by Hiner Saleem, Tore Tanzt by Katrin Gebbe and Wakolda by Lucia Puenzo (the latter two both first films). The festival will unveil its Cannes Classics selection on April 29.
Zach Braff Raises over $1.5 Million in One Day on Kickstarter
Braff raised over $1.5 million in one day on crowd-funding site Kickstarter for his new feature film, Wish I Was Here. The campaign drew protests from some who criticized the idea of millionaires turning to crowd-sourcing to fund their vanity projects. Braff will direct and star in the film and shooting is planned to begin this summer in Los Angeles. Braff's Kickstarter campaign has a goal of $2 million, TOH reports.
Jon Favreau Going Indie Route for Next Project
Favreau is heading back to his indie roots with Chef, a character study he wrote and will direct and act in. The film, which will also star Modern Family's Sofia Vergara, is described as a “slice-of-life tale centering on a chef and the people who flit in and out of his life.” Favreau made his directing debut with the 2001 indie crime movie Made, THR reports.
Hooper to Head Shanghai Jury
Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper will serve as jury president for the Golden Goblet Award at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival, taking place June 15 – 23. A selection of his films will screen during the festival, including The King's Speech and Les Miserables. Previous Shanghai jury presidents have included Luc Besson, Danny Boyle, Barry Levinson, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Wong Kar Wai, John Woo and Chen Kaige, Screen Daily reports.
Preview This Weekend's Specialty Newcomers
This weekend boasts a large number of Specialty Releases ranging from star-powered features to smaller offerings with non-pro actors. Jeff Nichols’ Mud with Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon opens in over 300 theaters courtesy of Roadside Attractions, while Cinedigm’s Arthur Newman stars Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Anne Heche. Sony Classics will platform release At Any Price, which stars Dennis Quaid, Kim Dickens, and Zac Efron. The Weinstein Company opens its Oscar-nominated Pacific adventure Kon-Tiki. Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist with Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber and Kiefer Sutherland had a wild ride before it finally opened the Venice Film Festival last August and Terence Nance’s An Oversimplification Of Her Beauty received new life after winning a Gotham Award. Deadline reports.
