This year the Irish Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival will host over 200 delegates from Ireland and across the globe. With the competition lineup announced and the weather hotting up, this years Cannes Film Festival promises to be as busy as ever.

The Irish Pavilion is a joint marketing initiative between Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and The Northern Ireland Film Commission. It acts as the focal point for Irish activities at the Cannes Film Festival which runs from the 11th to the 22nd of May. Minister John O’Donoghue will join Ireland's top industry professionals on the Croissette to formally launch the Pavilion.

2005's rising stars are Irish director-producer team Ken Wardrop and Andrew Freedman whose IFTA winning short film ‘Undressing My Mother’ has been selected to screen as part of the prestigious Semaine Internationale de a Critique (International Critics Week). This is the oldest sidebar event at the festival and is dedicated to discovering new talent. Famous directors discovered by the Critics’ Week include Bernardo Bertolucci, Barbet Schroeder, Ken Loach, Wong Kar Waï, Jacques Audiard, Arnaud Desplechin and François Ozon.

"Both Andrew and I are delighted with the positive receptions our short films are receiving at festivals internationally”, said director Ken Wardrop. “It is an exciting opportunity to us as we venture from the student film world into the industry. Our screening at Cannes will hopefully help to launch our production company, Venom, both nationally and internationally."

Films screening at the market include Lenny Abrahamson’s ‘Adam & Paul’ (released in Ireland last year to critical acclaim taking a over €700,000 at the Irish box office) and the multi-award winning ‘Omagh’, directed by Pete Travis which recently took home the BAFTA for Best Single Drama. Conor McMahon’s ‘Dead Meat’, Gillies MacKinnon's ‘Tara Road’, Pearse Elliott’s ‘The Mighty Celt’ and Fintan Connolly’s ‘Trouble With Sex’ are also screening at the market.

Wide Eye Films producer Nathalie Lichtenthaeler is representing Ireland as the EFP Irish Producer on the Move. Nathalie produced the feature film ‘Cowboys and Angels’ in 2004 and has a number of projects on her slate for the coming months.

The Irish Pavilion at Cannes is sponsored by Ardmore Studios; Avica (Digital Cinema Ltd); Magma Films and Easyjet.com. The following services will be available to delegates at the Pavilion.

• Staffed information desk open 9am - 8pm daily
• Terrace with bar and meeting facilities
• Business services e.g. email, fax, messages
• Screening Booth
• Multiple internet points
• Information Notice Board
• Storage facilities (subject to availability)

The Irish Film Board have also confirmed plans to organise a number of International networking events including an Australian/New Zealand/Ireland event and a Celtic Reception to celebrate the Irish, Scottish & Welsh in Cannes.

MEDIA Desk and Antenna will co-ordiate meetings for Irish producers with the MEDIA Development team at the Irish Pavilion in Cannes on the morning of May 17th

Meetings will be arranged for potential MEDIA development applicants with Soon-Mi Peten, Senior Expert in Development pre-selection in the MEDIA Technical Assistance office.  

Meetings will be arranged for MEDIA developemne Beneficiaries ( Slate or Single projects) with David Raffier– Technical Expert in Development Contracts and Monitoring in the MEDIA Technical Assistance office.  Meetings will be pre-scheduled in advance by the MEDIA Desk and Antenna   

The deadline to register for MEDIA is May 5th and applicants should send an e-mail to siobhan@mediadesk.ie with MEDIA DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS AT CANNES in the subject line.  Please indicate if you are a potential applicant or a beneficiary.

Cannes Film Festival 11-22 May:
The Irish Pavilion
Festival International du Film
Village International
Esplanade Georges Pompidou
06400 Cannes
T: + 33 (0) 49 25 90 200
F: + 33 (0) 49 25 90 201
E: irishpavilion@yahoo.com

For further info about the Irish Pavilion in Cannes contact Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board. www.filmboard.ie
Or The Northern Ireland Film Commission www.niftc.co.uk

www.ardmore.ie
www.avicatech.com
www.magmaworld.com
www.easyjet.com.