| |
 |
Cannes is still king
|
FOR two weeks in May, crowds from around the world flock to a posh resort town on France's Mediterranean coast to attend parties, gawk at topless sunbathers and possibly see a movie or two. They are here for the 54th Cannes International Film Festival and despite bloat, lack of shame and nothing resembling a cutting edge, it remains the largest, most popular film festival in the world.
Stars from around the world paraded up the red carpet at Cannes on May 10 for the traditionally glamorous opening of the 12-day international film festival in the French Riviera town.
US actress Andie MacDowell was among the first celebrities to make her way past the crowd gathered to see the black-tie event. She was quickly followed by Michelle Yeoh, who starred in last year's hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and a bevy of French actors, including Samuel Le Bihan, the lead of the film "The Brotherhood of Wolves".
Members of the jury who will judge the 23 films in competition at Cannes this year also turned out in high fashion, among them the jury president, Norwegian actress and director Liv Ulmann, and panel member British actress Julia Ormond.
Some lesser personalities did their best to be noticed before the massed photographers and cameramen, including Satya, the male model for Kenzo and other companies, and a companion who wore nothing more than a glittering gold and diamond bikini. Nicole Kidman, the star of the opening film of the festival, "Moulin Rouge", and the soon-to-be-ex-wife of Tom Cruise, was accompanied by the film's Australian director, Baz Luhrmann.
Asia's especially strong presence at the Cannes film festival made itself felt as a Japanese film screened in competition and Hong Kong dealmakers flexed their muscle.
"Distance," a film by young Japanese director Kore-Eda Hirokazu, was a stark contrast to the glamour and hype that surrounded the festival. The film offers no moral choices, simply recording the interaction of characters who are seen by others as both criminals and victims, and building the tale from progressively longer flashbacks.
New wave or not, Japanese films specifically, and other Asian films more generally, have captured the imagination of Cannes' official film selectors. Two other Japanese films — "Desert Moon" and "Akai Hashi Noshitano Nurui Mizu" (Tepid Water Under a Red Bridge) — are competing for the festival's Palme d'Or prize, as is one Malaysian film, "Ni Nei Pien Chi Tien" (What Time is it Over There?), and one film made by producers in China's Taiwan Province, "Millennium Mambo".
Adding to increasing world interest in films from Asia was the runaway success last year of the Taiwanese film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the film "In the Mood for Love" made by producers on the Chinese mainland.
A spokeswoman for Filmart, Hong Kong's film industry market and promotional agency, said the SAR was looking to capitalize on the cinematographic success of the region.
“We are bringing the biggest ever delegation to Cannes this year to promote the Hong Kong film trade and services," Dominique Duchiron said, explaining that 220 members from Hong Kong's film industry, buyers and distributors would be turning up, as would action star Jackie Chan. In all, 12 Hong Kong film companies, among the most active in Southeast Asia, have come to Cannes, and 17 screenings have been set up of products from the SAR.
|
|
|
|
