Films Making Buzz At Cannes

Cannes Film Festival is an opportunity for industry insiders (and a few lucky hangers-on) to preview some of the year’s most anticipated films. The screenings of 2009 include Heath Ledger’s final onscreen appearance, a Quentin Tarantino nazi flick, and a visually stunning Pixar comedy.

Here are the films the South of France is buzzing about, some of which will battle it out for The Palm D’Or.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Director Terry Gilliam’s tale of a traveling theater troupe has received much unpredicted build-up, due to the passing of Heath Ledger during production. Three A-list actors stepped in to fill his role: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. We’ll see it just to figure out how that plays out.

Inglourious Basterds

Cannes sweetheart Quentin Tarantino returns with a violent (surprising?) film set in WWII. Brad Pitt leads a group of American “basterds,” whose mission is to intimidate the Third Reich.

Up

A grumpy grandpa with cabin fever decides to voyage to South America via balloons, only to discover upon takeoff that he has a stowaway 70 years his junior.

Taking Woodstock

While working at his parents’ Catskills farm, a young man (Demitri Martin) inadvertently hosts Woodstock. Emile Hirsch plays a concert-going hippie and Liev Schreiber gets in drag.

Broken Embraces

Pedro Almodóvar (Volver, Talk To Her) presents a story of a man living in obscurity after losing his sight and the love of his life, Penelope Cruz, in a car crash.

Antichrist

A grieving couple (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe) escape to their cabin for some R&R, only to encounter Satan in the woods.

Coco avant Chanel

French cinema darling Audrey Tautou stars in this biographical drama about Coco Chanel’s rise in the fashion world.

Drag Me To Hell

After being evicted from her home, a sinister old woman puts a supernatural curse on a young loan officer, Alison Lohman, condemning her to hell.

Looking For Eric

As a postman’s life slips through his fingers, he turns to famous Manchester United footballer and philosopher, Eric Cantona.