Cannes picks Italian film Le Meraviglie

(ANSA) - Paris, April 17 - The Cannes Film Festival announced Thursday that an Italian film, Le Meraviglie (The Wonders) by Alice Rohrwacher, was selected to compete for the Golden Palm at the 67th annual event next month. The film, the sole Italian selection in competition, features Monica Bellucci and the director's sister Alba Rohrwacher, and is set in her native Tuscany, where the idyllic existence of the young protagonist Gelsomina is turned upside-down by the arrival of a young man named Martin.
    The 33-year-old Rohrwacher came to international prominence in 2011 by winning the up-and-coming filmmaker's prize at the Directors' Fortnight, an independent film festival held in parallel to Cannes, for her film Heavenly Body (Corpo celeste). Appearing at last year's competition was The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) by Italy's Paolo Sorrentino, who failed to take home honors but went on to sweep a series of international awards, culminating in an Oscar for best foreign film last month.
    Rohrwacher will compete against 17 other films, including Jimmy's Hall by legendary British filmmaker Ken Loach and Goodbye to Language 3D by iconic Nouvelle Vague director Jean-Luc Godard. The Cannes Film Festival takes place May 14-25.