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Already the out-and-out definition of a entertainment multi-hyphenate, poetry is something that also evidently flows in James Franco's blood, and is a world he loves to delve into for his film projects. Franco has made several shorts based on poems, including works by Anthony Hecht ("The Feast Of Stephen"), Spencer Reece ("The Clerk's Tale") and Frank Bidart ("Herbert White") before playing Hart Crane in "The Broken Tower" and Allen Ginsberg in "Howl." And it doesn't end there either.

Franco has now shepherded a project for Nyu graduate students that'll result in two poetry-centric anthology features: "Tar" based on C.K. William's book of poems of the same name, and "Black Dog, Red Dog," based on a book of poems by Stephen Dobyns. Students -- who had to win a competition for the opportunity -- separately helmed shorts based on individual poems with their entries combined into a cohesive feature-length narrative.

James Franco’s short film The Clerk’s Tale will premiere on the closing night of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Seven high resolution images from the film have come online along with the film’s synopsis. Written, directed, and edited by Franco, the film “is a psychological portrait of a gay man trapped in the monotonous routine of life at a high-end menswear store.” The film stars John Kelly and Charles Dance. Hit the jump to read the full synopsis and see seven high-res images from the film.

Here’s the synopsis for The Clerk’s Tale:

Based on the eponymous poem by Spencer Reece, The Clerk’s Tale is a psychological portrait of a gay man trapped in the monotonous routine of life at a high-end menswear store. For Spencer, every day is a sequence of mundane tasks and empty exchanges. He fits a customer, straightens a display,...

Spiderman co-stars Kirsten Dunst and James Franco will each be presenting both of their short films on the closing night of Critic's Week in Cannes. Franco's 13-minute short The Clerk's Tale will receive its world premiere screening and the pics for the short are sublime as they are 1970's magazine-like in their look. The short, which I imagine Franco filmed as part of his work at Nyu is based on the eponymous poem by Spencer Reece, The Clerk's Tale is a psychological portrait of a gay man trapped in the monotonous routine of life at a high-end menswear store. For Spencer, every day is a sequence of mundane tasks and empty exchanges. He fits a customer, straightens a display, takes his usual break at his usual time. But all the while the presence of an aging gay colleague eats away at him. Watching this older man, with his affects and almost grotesque habits,...