TORONTO - "Blindness,'' a movie written by Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar and produced by Toronto's Niv Fichman, is opening the Cannes Film Festival, sources close to the production said Tuesday.
An official announcement from Cannes was expected later Tuesday afternoon.
"Blindness'' will compete against Atom Egoyan's "Adoration,'' among other films at Cannes, for the prestigious Palme d'or.
The film, about a city struck by a plague that blinds 90 per cent of its population, stars Hollywood A-listers Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore. It was shot largely in the Toronto area last summer, including Guelph, Ont., before production moved to Brazil.
McKellar's screenplay is based on the 1995 Nobel Prize-winning novel by Portugal's Jose Saramago. The film, a co-production between Canada, Brazil and Japan, was directed by Brazilian Fernando Meirelles ("City of God''). McKellar also appears in the film.
Other Canadians have roles in the movie, including Sandra Oh of "Grey's Anatomy'' fame, Martha Burns and Murray Chaykin.
Miramax paid $5 million for U.S. rights for the film last year. "Blindness'' will be released in Canada by Alliance Films.
