Cannes 2007

If you’ve spent any time today on movie sites like Twitch, AICN, indieWire, or GreenCine, then you’re probably aware that the line-up for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival has been announced. You can read the full list here or download it here.

I’m certainly excited about the new films from Wong Kar-Wai (My Blueberry Nights, his first English language film, starring Norah Jones and Jude Law), the Coen Brothers (No Country For Old Men), Michael Winterbottom (A Mighty Heart), and of course, Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Thirteen).

However, the film that I’m most excited about is The Banishment, the latest from Andrey Zvyagintsev. In 2003, Zvyagintsev directed The Return, an incredibly gorgeous film that had people making comparisons to the likes of the great Andrei Tarkovsky.

Details surrounding Zvyagintsev’s latest are few and far between — apparently, Zvyagintsev was so overwhelmed by The Return’s success that he became something of a recluse and so The Banishment was made with the utmost secrecy. The only review I’ve found is in Russian (anyone care to translate?), and this is the closest to a plot summary that I’ve seen. And so I’m left eagerly awaiting for any news from its Cannes showing.