Already the excitement is in the air! The official poster has been announced and published; the Official Selection, juries, programs and events will soon be out. Now all we are waiting is for the official launch of the greatest film festival on the planet.

While the Official Selection is the cream de la crème there are several parallel and equally important film programs at the same time. Details of the program this year will not be released until the official opening. However the general outline follows:

Cannes Classics In 2006 the festival inaugurated the Cannes Classics program. Its aim is to bring back the outstanding classics from the past and present them in restored and sometimes in a brand new way. The Cannes Classic will offer these new or restored prints during this program at the Bunuel Theater. The theater named after arguably the first avant-garde filmmaker.

The Camera d’or, which was created n 1978, will offer first run features from many genres and nations. It is one of my favorites.

Cinema de la Plage is a relatively newcomer to the program and offers the locals and general masses a look at the films that are not in the official program. Situated on the beach it makes for a nice evening viewing with a bottle of wine.