Canadians at Cannes 2013

All eyes are on the French Riviera this week as the 2013 edition of the Cannes International Film Festival kicks off on May 15. From then until the end of the month, films, filmmakers, and actors from around the world will hit red carpets, gala premieres, parties, and generally make the small Mediterranean city home for the next few weeks.

See also: Steven Spielberg to head Cannes 2013 jury

Canada is usually pretty well represented at the Cannes Film Fest (take 2012 festival, for example), but unfortunately Canadian films and filmmakers have mostly been left out in the cold this year.

Here’s a look at some of the Canucks who made the 2013 Cannes cut and some surprising omissions.

Ryan Gosling - “Only God Forgives”
London, Ont.-born Ryan Gosling’s second collaboration with “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn – “Only God Forgives” – will compete for the coveted Palme D’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Fest. The violent crime thriller puts Gosling in the role of Julian, an American ex-pat operating a drug-trafficking ring in Thailand and out to avenge the death of his brother. Director Refn has described the film as being about “a man who wants to fight God.”

Chloe Robichaud - “Sarah Would Rather Run”
Already a three-time veteran of the festival’s short film programme, Quebec’s Chloe Robichaud (“Herd Leader”) is the only Canadian director with a movie at this year’s Cannes. Robichaud’s debut feature “Sarah Would Rather Run” will compete as part of Cannes’ prestigious Un Certain Regard programme.

Ted Kotcheff – “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz”
Nearly four decades after being rejected from the 1974 Cannes Film Fest, Toronto-born director Ted Kotcheff (“First Blood,” “Weekend at Bernie’s”) will finally have a chance to screen his classic coming-of-age dramedy “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” for Cannes audiences. Based on Canadian author Mordecai Richler’s seminal novel, “Duddy Kravitz” stars Richard Dreyfuss as the title character, a poor but ambitious young Jewish man looking to make a name for himself in Montreal. Kotcheff will debut a new remastered version of the Canadian classic as part of the Cannes Classics programme.

Noticeably absent from the official 2013 Cannes lineup is Cannes regular Xavier Dolan. The young Quebec filmmaker’s “I Killed My Mother” won him three awards at the 2009 festival, and he made return appearances with 2010’s “Heartbeats” and 2012’s “Laurence Anyways.” His latest film “Tom on the Farm” failed to make the cut for the 2013 fest.

See also: Why you should know Montreal filmmaker Xavier Dolan

Another surprising omission is the latest from “Incendies” director Denis Villeneuve. Many predicted his new psychological thriller “An Enemy” was a shoe in for Cannes this year – especially with an international cast that includes Jake Gyllenhal, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini, and Melanie Laurent - but for whatever reason the Toronto-shot film was not included as part of the lineup.

However, these films will still be present at Cannes. Both Dolan and Villeneuve’s films will likely screen outside of competition at the festival’s thriving and ever-growing film distribution market.