Paramount revs up Cannes profile

By Scott Rosenberg May 12, 2006, 4:51 GMT

Get ready folks, the Festival des Cannes (Cannes Film Festival) kicks off May 17th – May 28th on the Croisette.

The Festival will feature 55 films from 30 countries – 48 of them world premiers.  In competition are 20 films from 13 different countries. 

While the actual number of features screened as part of the official Festival is small – hundreds more are screened as part of the Festival “Market”.

Having played a relatively minor role at previous Cannes Festival’s Hollywood’s Paramount Pictures is planning on ramping up their presence this year.

They are screening Brad Pitt drama ‘Babel,’ DreamWorks' animated  ‘Over the Hedge’ and former VP Al Gore’s promoted global-warming docu ‘An Inconvenient Truth’.

Also anticipated are world preem sneak peak of Oliver Stone's 9/11 drama "World Trade Center" and the Broadway musical adaptation "Dreamgirls."

And of course, what would a film festival be without “stars"?

To support their line up, Paramount is bringing in Bruce Willis, Oliver Stone, Bill Condon, Beyonce, Jamie Foxx and Cate Blanchett.

Paramount topper Brad Grey will be in attendance with studio execs Gail Berman, Rob Moore, Alli Shearmur, Brad Weston and John Lesher in toe.

This will be the studio’s first Cannes Festival after splitting from its former distribution arm UIP and execs are looking to use this edition of the leading Film Fest and Market to kick off  its new foreign distribution arm and emphasis on edgier pics that are star-driven and can play better in international markets.

Paramount believes it can make more money from international markets.

In January 2007, they will take over distribution in Australia, Brazil, France, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and the U.K.  They are also expected to announce the opening of offices in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain and Switzerland.