Old favorites and new faces to present films at Cannes Film Festival

<br>PARIS (AP) _ A healthy dose of Cannes favorites and some new faces, too, are among the directors presenting films at this year's 55th Cannes Film Festival, which announced its selection Wednesday.

Wednesday, April 24th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PARIS (AP) _ A healthy dose of Cannes favorites and some new faces, too, are among the directors presenting films at this year's 55th Cannes Film Festival, which announced its selection Wednesday.

Twenty-two movies are showing in competition and seven out of competition in the festival that runs May 15-26

David Cronenberg, the Canadian director who headed the Cannes jury in 1999, is back with ``Spider,'' starring Ralph Fiennes. Another Cannes regular, British director Ken Loach, is back with ``Sweet Sixteen.'' Britain is also represented by Mike Leigh, with ``All or Nothing,'' and Michael Winterbottom, with ''24-Hour Party People.''

Paul Thomas Anderson, the American director of ``Magnolia,'' presents his new film, ``Punch-Drunk Love.'' And Michael Moore presents his latest documentary, ``Bowling for Columbine,'' which pokes fun at the gun culture and is partly about the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado. Rounding out the U.S. selection is ``About Schmidt,'' directed by Alexander Payne.

Roman Polanski, perhaps most famous for ``Rosemary's Baby,'' will be at Cannes with ``The Pianist.''

Israeli director Amos Gitai, who presented ``Kadosh'' and ``Kippur,'' is back for the third time in four years with ``Kedma.''

South Korean director Im Kwon-taek, who presented the visually sumptuous ``Chunhyang'' in 2000, is back with ``Chihwaseon.'' China is represented by Jia Zhang Ke's ``Ren Xiao Yao (Unknown Pleasures).''

Four French films are in the competition: ``Demonlover'' by Olivier Assayas; ``Irreversible'' by Gaspar Noe; ``L'adversaire'' by Nicole Garcia; and ``Marie-Jo et ses deux amours'' by Robert Guediguian.

Appearing out of competition, Woody Allen's latest film, ``Hollywood Ending,'' will open the festival, a coup for organizers who have long wanted to lure the reclusive New York filmmaker to the Riviera festival.

``And Now Ladies And Gentlemen,'' by French director Claude Lelouch, will close the festival.

Actresses Sharon Stone of ``Basic Instinct'' and Michelle Yeoh of ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,'' will take part in the nine-member jury awarding the Palme d'Or, presided over by the famously quirky director David Lynch, director of ``Blue Velvet,'' ``The Straight Story'' and ``Mulholland Drive.''