Selections for the Cannes Film Festival have been announced, and while American movies are robustly represented, only two Canadian projects have been included in the world’s most renowned film showcase. While Stardom upped the Canadian profile last year, screening as the closing film, this year’s Canadian selections are significantly less visible.

Truth in Advertising, a short film by Tim Hamilton that pokes fun at the advertising industry and has created quite a stir in Canada, is the only Canadian project officially competing in the festival, this year taking place May 9-20.

The first-ever Inuit feature, Atanarjuat The Fast Runner (National Film Board/Isuma Igloolik Productions) by Zacharias Kunuk, will be screened in the Un Certain Regard program, which will open with Abel Ferrara’s R-Xmas.

The festival’s opening film is Moulin Rouge (Twentieth Century Fox) by U.S. filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.

Others in the official competition include, Jean-Luc Godard’s Eloge de l’Amour, David Lynch’s Mullholland Drive, Joel Coen’s The Man Who Wasn’t There and Sean Penn’s The Pledge.

Special screenings include Martin Scorcese’s Il Mio Viaggio in Italia (My Journey in Italy). This year also marks Italy’s return to the Cannes lineup with Nanni Moretti’s La Stanza del Figlio (The Son’s Room) and Ermanno Olmi’s Il Mestiere Delle Armi (The Profession of Arms), both in the official competition.

The 2001 selection committee screened 1,798 films – 854 features and 944 shorts – a 30% increase over last year.

Thierry Fremaux is the festival’s new artistic director, responsible for the festival selections. *

-www.festival-cannes.fr