Jodie Foster film snubbed by Cannes

The New York Post reports that The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys—starring Jodie Foster, who also served as executive producer—has been rejected by the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in spite of the fact that it was expected to make its premiere at Cannes. It is generally thought to be a reaction to Foster’s having accepted the presidency of the festival’s jury in January only to drop out three weeks later to replace Nicole Kidman on the film The Panic Room. Sources report that the French “were really insulted when she backed out, even if it was to accept a $12 million gig. So they ditched her film.” Festival officials had nothing to say, since they generally don’t discuss the selection process. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys is a drama that takes place in a Georgia parochial school in 1974, when a group of students draws an obscene comic book. Graham King, whose Initial Entertainment Group produced the films, stated, “I think the film deserves to be in there. That she took a job on a movie is no one’s fault.”