Bayona
Fresnadillo
MADRID -- Spaniards Juan Antonio Bayona and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo will serve as Godfathers of Cannes' 48th Critics' Week.
The directors, who will be honored during the sidebar, have both gone on to reap recognition, B.O. and critical praise after their feature debuts preemed in Critics' Week.
Fresnadillo broke through with "Esposados" (Links), a noirish comedy shortlisted for best live-action short at the 1997 Oscars.
His first feature "Intacto," about people with the gift of good luck, opened Critics' Week in 2002 and was picked up for an English-language remake by Buena Vista.
Fresnadillo's follow-up, "28 WeeksLater," was seen around the world. Based at Spanish shingle Apaches, he inked last month with MGM to develop a remake of Roger Corman's "X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes."
Godfathered by Guillermo del Toro and produced by Spain's Telecinco Cinema and Rodar y Rodar, Bayona's feature debut "The Orphanage" played Critics' Week in 2007.
It went on gross E25 million ($33.1 million) in Spain and more than double that total worldwide. New Line bought English-language remake rights.
Bayona is attached to helm Universal thriller "Hater," with del Toro and Mark Johnson producing. Both Bayona and Fresnadillo have projects set up at Apaches.
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