Coincidentally The Road To Cannes is....

...Red, apparently, though not necessarily with the blood sacrificed by directors trying hard to gain acceptance from the selectors of the world's greatest festival of film.  The odds against selection for Cannes are huge, so it is particularly heart warming that one of the films in competition this year is Red Road, a British debut feature from Andrea Arnold, who last year won an Oscar for her short film Wasp.

Red Road was awarded £436,144 from the New Cinema fund and previously, £10,962 of Lottery development cash through the UK Film Council’s Development Fund. It was originally developed by the Glasgow Film Office and is also funded by Scottish Screen.

Claire Chapman, head of talent and creativity at Scottish Screen, which part-funded the film, said: "It is a remarkable achievement from Andrea, as a first-time feature writer-director and Carrie as a first-time feature producer to have their film chosen to compete in such a prestigious international festival. We at Scottish Screen could not be more pleased and we are sure audiences will love the film. It has a wonderful script, sensitively directed, with some outstanding performances from the young cast."

Red Road stars Martin Compston and Natalie Press. The film was shot in Glasgow and tells the story of Jackie, who works as a CCTV operator watching over the world for Glasgow City Council, who one day spots a man on the monitors. It is the man who was responsible for her father's death and she feels compelled to confront him. Trust Film Sales is acting as sales agent for the film and Verve Pictures is the UK distributor.

   ADVANCE PARTY PROJECT

The film has quite an interesting pedigree being the first fruit of Lars von Trier's Advance Party project. Three filmmakers have each scripted a feature incorporating the same nine characters. This is one of the ideas developed by one of Scotland's most prolific producer talents, Gillian Berrie, who has long had links with Von Trier's Zentropa Films that have proved to be very rewarding for Scotland. Berrie has recently just completed principal photography on the David Mackenzie adaptation of Hallam Foe, starring Jamie Bell. Mackenzie co-founded Sigma Films with Berrie.

     CAST THE NET WIDER

One of Berrie's many film activities is to run a casting agency which helped with casting for Ken Loach's Sweet Sixteen, filmed at Greenock, near Glasgow. His latest film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, written by Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty, is also screening at Cannes.It tells the story of two brothers who fight together during the Irish war of independence. They find themselves pitted against each other in the subsequent civil war. More blood spilled on the road it seems. It too was co-funded through the UKFC New Cinema fund.

That happy coincidence prompted the head of New Cinema Fund, Paul Trijbits to say: "It is fantastic the Cannes selection committee has selected Ken Loach's and Andrea Arnold's films, not only for the films and filmmakers themselves but because it also confirms British film talent continues to produce films which excite the most prestigious film festival in the world."

Let's hope they do - and good luck to all the Cannes contenders.

Don't Miss Our Essential Guide to Cannes:

You will find it here.... http://www.netribution.co.uk/2/content/view/209/277/