The Directors' Fortnight presented 23 features, 10 shorts and three special programs. In addition, the Fortnight included a screening of Thérèse (1986) to accompany the SRF presentation of the Carrosse d'Or award to the director Alain Cavalier.

This year, audiences (re)discovered William Friedkin's Cruising (1980), in a new HD restoration, a crime drama set amid New York's gay leather s&m scene, starring Al Pacino. For the first time, the Fortnight organized a special program of short films in homage to French director Albert Lamorisse (1922-1970), including his two masterpieces, in new 35mm restorations, White Mane (1952) and The Red Balloon (1956).

The 39th Fortnight gave particular pride of place to first films, films by young auteurs and directors who had never been invited previously to Cannes. Critics and audiences acclaimed Sandrine Bonnaire's moving documentary Elle s'appelle Sabine, Gael Morel's Après lui with Catherine Deneuve, and Nadine Labaki's sunlit, sensuous Caramel.

Another revelation, from England, Anton Corbijn's Control opened the Fortnight, and was probably its biggest public success this year. Other highlights included Ramin Bahrani's Chop Shop (US), Danielle Arbid's Un Homme perdu (Lebanon-France), Tom Kalin's psychological drama Savage Grace with Julianne Moore (US) and Gregg Araki's madcap comedy Smiley Face (US).

Feature films (23)

Après lui
France - 1h40 (2007)
Gaël Morel

Avant que j'oublie
France - 1h48 (2007)
Jacques Nolot

Caramel
Lebanon, France - 1h36 (2007)
Nadine Labaki

Chop Shop
U.S.A. - 1h24 (2007)
Ramin Bahrani

Control
United Kingdom, Australia - 1h59 (2007)
Anton Corbijn

Dai Nipponjin
Japan - 1h53 (2007)
Hitosi Matumoto

Elle s'appelle Sabine
France - 1h25 (2007)
Sandrine Bonnaire

Estado do mundo (O)
L'Etat du Monde
Portugal - 1h45 (2007)
Ayisha Abraham
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Wang Bing
Vicente Ferraz
Pedro Costa
Chantal Akerman

Foster Child
John John
Philippines - 1h38 (2007)
Brillante Mendoza

France (La)
France - 1h42 (2007)
Serge Bozon

Garage
Irland - 1h25 (2007)
Lenny Abrahamson

Gegenüber
Counterparts
Germany - 1h40 (2007)
Jan Bonny

Influencia (La)
Spain, Mexico - 1h23 (2007)
Pedro Aguilera

Mutum
Brazil, France - 1h35 (2007)
Sandra Kogut

Ploy
Thailand - 1h47 (2007)
Pen-ek Ratanaruang

PVC-1
Colombia - 1h25 (2007)
Spiros Stathoulopoulos

Question humaine (La)
France - 2h23 (2007)
Nicolas Klotz

Savage Grace
Spain, U.S.A., France - 1h37 (2007)
Tom Kalin

Smiley Face
U.S.A. - 1h25 (2007)
Gregg Araki

Tout est pardonné
France - 1h45 (2007)
Mia Hansen-Løve

Un homme perdu
A Lost Man
Lebanon, France - 1h37 (2007)
Danielle Arbid

Yumurta
Oeuf / Egg
Turkey, Greece - 1h37 (2007)
Semih Kaplanoglu

Zoo
U.S.A. - 1h16 (2007)
Robinson Devor

Short films (18)

Avant Pétalos Grillados
Spain - 0h11 (2007)
Velasco Broca

Ballon rouge (Le)
Red Balloon
France - 0h36 (2007)
Albert Lamorisse

Brutality Factory
China - (2007)
Wang Bing

Candy Boy
France - 0h13 (2007)
Pascal-Alex Vincent

China, China
Portugal - 0h21 (2007)
João Pedro Rodrigues
João Rui Guerra Da Mata

Crin Blanc
White Mane
France - 0h40 (2007)
Albert Lamorisse

Entracte
France - 0h14 (2007)
Yann Gonzalez

Germano
Brazil - (2007)
Vicente Ferraz

Hoguera
Bonfire
Colombia, Mexico - 0h16 (2007)
Andrés Baiz

Luminous People
Thailand - (2007)
Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Même pas mort
France - 0h16 (2007)
Claudine Natkin

Mota shel shula
La Mort de Shoula
Israel - 0h25 (2007)
Asaf Korman

One Way
India - (2007)
Ayisha Abraham

Silencio
France - 0h20 (2007)
F.J Ossang

superDONG
Singapour - 0h04 (2007)
Pok Yue Weng

Tarrafal
Portugal - (2007)
Pedro Costa

Tel père, telle fille
France - 0h20 (2007)
Sylvie Ballyot

Tombée de nuit sur Shanghaï
Belgium - (2007)
Chantal Akerman

Special screenings (1)

Cruising
U.S.A., Germany - 1h41 (2007)
William Friedkin