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.
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