Sathya Sai Baba died at 86

Sathya Sai Baba, considered a living god by millions of followers worldwide, died in a hospital today near his southern Indian ashram. He was 86.

64th Festival de Cannes - the Jury of the Competition section

The Jury of the Competition section of 64th Festival de Cannes will be presided over by Robert DE NIRO (actor, director, producer) .Other members are: Martina GUSMAN (actress and producer, Argentina), Nansun SHI (producer, China), Uma THURMAN (actress, scriptwriter, producer, USA), Linn ULLMANN (critic and writer, Norway),Olivier ASSAYAS (director, France), Jude LAW (actor, UK), Mahamat Saleh HAROUN (director, Chad), Johnnie TO (director, producer, China/Hong Kong)

Emir Kusturica presides the jury for the Un Certain Regard in 64th Festival de' Cannes

Kusturica, who spent most of his life in Bosnia but now lives in Serbia, is one of the most celebrated filmmakers in Europe, as decorated with various film-festival golden awards. His films ''When Father Was Away on Business'' and ''Underground'' each won the multiple prizes at Cannes in 1985 and 1995, respectively, and this week the provocative Serbian auteur returns to Cannes to serve as president of the most prestigious festival jury in the world , the jury for the Un Certain Regard section of the festival competition. He joins Robert De Niro, who will serve as jury president for the main competition.

64th Festival de Cannes 2011--Short Film Competition

The Festival de Cannes is also a festival for young filmmakers and the short film format. In its desire to showcase young talent, the world’s biggest film event renews its commitment and faith in the future of cinema every year. In an additional initiative regrouped around Cannes Short Films, the Short Film Competition and the Short Film Corner reveal emerging talent in a full panorama dedicated to the short film format.
The Short Film Competition, composed of previously unreleased works, has in the past led to the discovery of more than one auteur director who has gone on to achieve fame: Jane CAMPION or Xavier GIANNOLI, for instance, as well as Nuri Bilge CEYLAN, Lynne RAMSAY and Catalin MITULESCU, who are in the 2011 Official Selection, all drew notice when they made their debuts with a short film in the Cannes competition.
Following is the list of the Official Selection of the short film competition in the 64th Festival de Cannes. It is composed this year with nine films from nine different countries. The 2011 competition brings together a great variety of cinematographic concepts, differing in style, genre, length and national origin.

Dahci Ma GHOST South Korea 10’

Wannes Destoop BADPAKJE 46 Belgium 15’

Vladimir Durán SOY TAN FELIZ Argentina/Colombia 14’

Nash Edgerton BEAR Australia 8’

Lisa Marie Gamlem KJØTTSÅR Norway 11’

Sam Holst MEATHEAD New Zealand 10’

Nicolas Roy CE N’EST RIEN Canada 14’

Megumi Tazaki PATERNAL WOMB Japan 15’

Maryna Vroda CROSS France/Ukrain 14’
Presided over by filmmaker Michel Gondry, the jury will award the Short Film Palme d’Or at the Closing Ceremony on 22nd May.
Last year, Barking Island by Serge Avédikian was awarded the prize and has since met with great international acclaim.

64th edition of Festival de Cannes -the Festival Juries

FEATURE FILMS JURY
Robert DE NIRO, President – Actor, Director / USA
THE SHORT FILM AND CINEFONDATION JURY
Michel GONDRY, President – Director / France
UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY
Emir KUSTURICA, President – Director / Serbia
THE CAMERA D’OR JURY
BONG Joon-Ho, President – Director / Korea

An honorary Palme d'Or will be conferred on Bernardo Bertolucci at the opening ceremony of the 64th edition of Festival de Cannes

The organizers of Festival de Cannes will award an annual Honorary Palme d'Or, which will be presented during the Opening Ceremony. This recognition is attributed to an important filmmaker, whose work is authoritative ... but never got a Palme d'Or. In the recent past, Woody Allen, in 2002, or Clint Eastwood in 2009, were awarded this distinction by President Gilles Jacob, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Festival de Cannes. Now, the act becomes tradition and will be annual, taking place at the opening of the event.
In 2011, the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci will receive this honour. "The quality of his work, which appears today in all its uniqueness and the extent of this work we perceive every day more vividly, the strength of his commitment to cinema and the ties that bind him to Cannes, make Bernardo Bertolucci the first legitimate recipient." say President Gilles Jacob and Thierry Frémaux General Delegate.
The filmmaker, has marked Italian cinema with intimate masterpieces as well as monumental frescoes: from Prima della Revoluzione (1964) to Novecento (1976), from the Conformist (1970) to The Last Emperor (1987), his political and social involvement, driven by a profound lyricism and an elegant and accurate direction, gives his films a unique place in the history of world cinema.The Honorary Palme d'Or will be attributed to him Wednesday, May 11, at the Opening Ceremony of the 64th edition of the Festival, in the presence of the jury chaired by Robert De Niro, who was one
of the actors in Novecento ( 1976).