Swedish representatives this year are Stellan Skarsgård and director Magnus von Horn, who each serve on a jury, and Niki Lindroth von Bahr, who is competing in the short film section.
In addition, Christina Lindberg, actress and former fashion model, will be there to celebrate the 55th anniversary of her film "Exposed" being shown at Cannes.
Very French
The festival opens as usual with a French film, the comedy “La Venus electrique”. French directors and actors are strongly represented: icon Catherine Deneuve appears in two films, including Iranian master Asghar Farhadi’s French-language “Histoires parallèles”. She is also in Marie Kreutzer’s drama “Gentle Monster”.
Pedro Almodóvar is showing his “Bitter Christmas”, but it is uncertain whether the Spanish master himself will come to Cannes. However, Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski will attend with his “Fatherland”, a drama about the author Thomas Mann and his life during and after World War II.
Film about the resistance struggle
The same period is the backdrop for László Nemes's "Moulin", the true story of resistance fighter Jean Moulin. The first part of a two-part film about French President Charles de Gaulle and his journey during World War II is also shown.
Stellan Skarsgård is on the jury that will this year judge Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's "Fjord" - a drama set in Norway and starring Renate Reinsve, who played Skarsgård's daughter in last year's Cannes hit "Sentimental Value".
"If it feels like there is a film where you are biased, then you have to stand back and let the others decide," he has previously told TT.
Some new Scandinavian film projects are being presented at Film i Väst's annual press conference. Rumor has it that Ruben Östlund will be making a guest appearance there to show something from “The Entertainment System Is Down.” The film was originally supposed to be in competition, but will instead be shown next year when the festival celebrates its 80th anniversary.
