By Elina Shatkin, September 30, 2003
Barco will be the prime mover behind digital screenings at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for the second consecutive year. The company's involvement goes way beyond a simple technology partnership. Barco's broader mission is to support the "seventh art" through its transition to digital cinema by enabling filmmakers to screen restored and completed films, or films in post-production, in digital format, using Barco systems and equipment installed in the festival's Official Selection theatres.
Barco's D-Cine Premiere DP 50 digital projection system will be installed in the festival's Lumière and Debussy theatres, while the Buñuel theatre will be equipped with a D-Cine Premiere DP 30 digital projector, specially developed for feature screenings in medium-capacity cinemas, and designed to meet the equipment needs of independent networks.
The D-Cine range of projection systems is based on Texas Instruments' DLP
cinema technology, which opens up new possibilities for digital production, and is the only display technology to meet the exceptionally demanding requirements of the industry. Barco's D-Cine Premiere projectors are based on a 35 mm console. The 24 frames per second display and color processing capability encompassing billions of color shades enable the system to deliver images that are consistently clean, bright and even, without scratches or flicker.
Barco Digital Cinema Screenings at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival:
* Lumière theatre (Closing of the Festival): 'Modern Times', directed by Charlie Chaplin (confirmed)
* Debussy theatre ("Un Certain Regard" selection): 'All Tomorrow's
Parties', directed by Yu Lik Wai (confirmed)
* Buñuel theatre (Out of competition): 'The Soul of a Man', directed by Wim Wenders
. Further films are currently awaiting confirmation.
The two technological highlights at this year's Festival will be the 3D screening of James Cameron's film 'Ghosts of the Abyss' on Saturday May 17 in the Lumière theatre using two Barco R18 high-power projectors, and the screening of the restored version of Charlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times' in the main Lumière theatre to close the festival on May 25.
Five restored films representing the legacy of the art of cinema will also be screened in digital format in the Buñuel theatre using D-Cine Premiere projection equipment based on DLP Cinema(tm) technology: 'Le Roi et l'Oiseau' (1980) by Paul Grimault, 'Scarecrow' (1973) by Jerry Schatzberg (winner of the Grand Prix du Festival, 1973), 'Mildred Pierce' (1945) by Michael Curtiz, 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (1938) by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (1942) by Michael Curtiz.
Finally, this year the Cannes Film Festival will again be awarding the "DVD
Collection" and "2003 Cannes Film Festival DVD Prize" label to the best titles in the new DVD and heritage DVD categories. Barco is also a sponsor of the DVD Zone and the DVD awards ceremony, providing its Cine VERSUM 80 HD2 DLP projector for the DVD viewing room. This projector's exceptional image quality and very low noise generation make it ideal for even the most critical home theatre user.
Full list of Barco products provided for the Festival:
* Lumière theatre: D-Cine Premiere DP 50,
* Debussy theatre: D-Cine Premiere DP 50,
* Buñuel theatre: D-Cine Premiere DP 30,
* 3D equipment for 'Ghost of the Abyss': two R18 projectors,
* Broadcast of live feed from the steps of the Lumière theatre: one R10 projector.
* Marché du film screening room: iQ G300,
* DVD zone: Cine VERSUM 80 HD2,
* Outdoor screen at top of steps: DLite 7.
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