Fernando Mereilles's "Blindness" will in fact open the 2008 Festival de Cannes on May 14th -- screening in competition -- organizers have just announced. Rounding out the Official Selection for the upcoming event, planners added a few additional films to the roster.

Get the complete story at indieWIRE.com.

Cinema poster artist Pierre Collier has created the poster and visual identity for the 61st Festival de Cannes, inspired by a photograph by David Lynch. The festival will run May 14th through 25th.

Since 1989, my mom, Evelyn has been my trusty sidekick, best friend and confidant to accompany me to Cannes every consecutive year since. I am sure many of you have seen this 4'10" Asian American mom whizzing down the Croisette to a screening or to meet me at a reception, with the sparkle of a teenager in love with the movies.

PHOTO: Evelyn, with her son Marcus Hu (front), and friends in Cannes last year. Photo by indieWIRE.

Her love for cinema rubbed off onto me as a child and stuck with me as a career. As she was readying for this year's 60th anniversary and packing for her trip, she had a severe stroke on May 1st. My spouse, Ross, found her at home and rushed her to the hospital.

My sister, Sandria, Ross and I have been by her side 24/7, at first it was touch and go, most of it a blur as any of you can imagine seeing a loved one in a dire state.

Flowers and well wishes from the film community around the world flooded her hospital room and have continued since her return home where she is recuperating and learning to walk and regain her strength.

Annually, James Schamus, Christine Vachon and Wouter Barendrecht planned dinners to celebrate her birthday, which always fell during the festival's dates.

On the first year that James made a dinner for her in the Good Machine suite, a fireworks display began, and it epitomized such a special evening for her that it become an indelible memory, and every year, even this year, James held his annual dinner for her and invited our family of friends to celebrate her recovery, leaving a seat open in her honor. Christine and I always held an annual dinner for her as well at one of her favorite restaurants, Le Petit Lardon.

My mom has become such a fixture at the festival, that many of the guards and officials wave at her with the carte blanche accorded to A list celebrities.

This year, my mom had been looking forward to showing the ropes of Cannes to my much older brother, Gregg Araki who presented his film, "Smiley Face" in Director's Fortnight.

My mom's favorite past time was saving seats in the Grand Lumiere for my partner Jon Gerrans, and dear friends such as Steven Raphael, John Cooper, Laura Kim, Dennis O' Connor, Carl Spence, Brian Robinson, MJ Peckos and all of our other film festival family and making sure that we got to spend time with them.

Even the staff of the Hotel Splendid sent their kind wishes to her on hearing of her illness and have already reserved her room for next year's festival.

Evelyn really appreciates all the kindness and goodwill that everyone has been extending to her and looks forward to having that kir royale toast to you all next year at the festival! [Marcus Hu]

Marcus Hu is the co-president of Strand Releasing

The third Tous les Cinemas du Monde focuses on the emerging film industries around the world spotlighting cinematic diversity. Poland and Slovenia will be two countries highlighted this year as well as Colombia, again spotlighting Latin America. Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and Chile have already been the subjects of this program. Also receiving attention this year is Lebanon as well as the African countries of Guinea, Angola and Kenya. Also in recognition of the 60th anniversary of Indian independence and sixty years of the Festival de Cannes, Indian cinema will open the program with two days of screenings from that country's vast contribution to cinema.

Reps for Wong Kar Wai's Cannes opener "My Blueberry Nights" offered another peek at the movie in a film still featuring Norah Jones and Jude Law. The world premiere -- the first film from a Chinese director to open the Cannes festival -- is described as a "romantic drama" that also features David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman.

In the words of a desciption of the film...

As of April 14, over 3,000 companies from 80 contries have confirmed their participation in the Marche du Film (Cannes film market), an event taking place simultaneously with the festival that is focused on the international motion picture business. 10,000 attendees will participate in the market's financial and artistic montage of films and negotiation of co-production contracts. Over 1,500 screenings will also be offered at the market. In addition, this year's Producers Network will once again work with producers developing their projects. The program brings together more than 500 producers from five continents. The producers meet every morning around 16 thematic roundtables where professional guests offer their insights in production and international financing. New this year to the Producers Network program are two "speed-dating" sessions slated for Thursday May 17 and Friday, May 18. Participants will meet groups of five to six producers from various countries to exhange ideas and discuss their projects. [Brian Brooks]

The Festival de Cannes' Atelier de la Cinefondation, a program which helps young filmmakers bring their film projects to fruition, announced this year's group of 15 projects that will participate in the program that supports young filmmakers bring their projects to fruition. This year's 15 come from 15 different countries, and will attend attend the festival May 18 - 25 meeting with film professionals interested in their projects.

As part of its 60th anniversary celebration, the Festival de Cannes has commissioned 35 directors to participate in a collective film "To Each His Own Cinema," a collection of three-minute films focused on the "movie theater." In the words of an announcement today, each director was given carte blanche to come up with their own personal interpretation. Canadian artist Robert Carsen, who recently directed Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" at the Theatre du Chatelet, has created an on-stage introduction to the film for the Theatre Lumiere in Cannes. "To Each His Own Cinema" will have its world debut on Sunday, May 20 and broadcast the same evening on Canal+.

The "To Each His Own Cinema" directors are...

The official selection for the 60th Festival de Cannes has been unveiled. The festival will open with Wong Kar-wai's "My Blueberry Nights" starring singer Norah Jones. Get the complete lineup at indieWIRE.com.

Nine famous faces, photographed at last year's Festival de Cannes, are pictured in the poster for the upcoming French fest. During the 59th festival, Magnum photographer Alex Majoli shot numerous notables in mid jump for the poster celebrating the 60th Festival de Cannes and graphic designer Christophe Renard created the composite image.

Pictured above, in the "tribute to those actors and directors at the heart of this Anniversary Festival," are: Pedro Almodovar, Juliette Binoche, Jane Campion, Souleymane Cisse, Penelope Cruz, Gerard Depardieu, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and Wong Kar Wai.

The lineup for the 60th Festival de Cannes will be announced on Thursday, April 19th.

Image provided by Festival de Cannes

Ken Loach, winner of the Palme d'Or at the 59th Festival de Cannes. For more photos from indieWIRE's coverage of Cannes, visit the special iPOP section.

Photo by Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE

Catch up with indieWIRE's coverage of the 2006 Festival de Cannes in a special section at indieWIRE.com.