- guardian.co.uk, Thursday March 24 2005 12.49 GMT
World cinema welcomed ... the scene at Cannes.
Photo: PA
This year's Cannes festival will feature a new programme dedicated to world cinema, it was announced this week.
The event, entitled All the World's Cinemas, aims to promote non-Hollywood productions and foster new talent. "[It] is meant for the young cinéma d'auteur, for all newcomers in their fields, and not just from the developing world," said Gilles Jacob, the festival's president.
According to a festival statement "every country invited will present a selection it believes reflects its cultural identity and what is unique about it." This year's selection will showcase short-and feature-length films from Morocco, Sri Lanka, Peru and Brazil, among others.
The Cannes festival already runs several programmes dedicated to auteur films, such as The Directors' Fortnight or A Different Look selections, alongside its official competition. Previous Palme d'Or winners have often been iconoclastic directors, such as China's Chen Kaige, Mike Leigh or Wim Wenders, rather than Hollywood mainstays.
Bosnian director Emir Kusturica and two-time Cannes winner will chair the jury at this year's festival. Belgian actor Cécile de France, seen recently in Around the World in 80 Days with Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan, will host the awards ceremony.
The Cannes festival runs from May 11-22.
