"Abuse of Weakness" Director: Catherine Breillat The pairing of a controversial French filmmaker and two-time Cannes winning Best

Actress is undoubtedly a given for making this years festival lineup. Fat Girl director Catherine Breillat has adapted her novel Abuse of Weakness, which centers on her personal experience of con man Christophe Rocancourt stealing money from her following a stroke. The film stars Isabelle Huppert, Cannes winner for Violette and The Piano Teacher, and French rapper Kool Shen. -** "The Bastards" Director: Claire Denis It's been four years since "White Material," Claire Denis' acclaimed thriller (also starring Isabelle Huppert), so anticipation is high for the filmmaker's latest, starring Vincent Lindon and Chiara Mastrioani in the leads. Everything Denis has made in the past decade has premiered at Venice, but given her French pedigree and the fact she shot "The Bastards" last August, a Cannes premiere for her latest isn't out of the question. Mastrioani stars as Sandra, a widowed mother to a troubled daughter, whose family's business is going under. To exact revenge on the businessman she deems responsible for her family's troubles, she enlists the help of her brother. [Nigel M. Smith] **