Day by Day

Friday 19 May
Thursday 18 May
Wednesday 17 May
Tuesday 16 May
Monday 15 May
Sunday 14 May
Saturday 13 May
Friday 12 May
Thursday 11 May
Wednesday 10 May

Cannes comments
from around the world

When in Cannes

Day 11 and 12: Weekend Wrap

At Long Last…

Timeless beauty and grace have won out, it was noted today, as Gilles Jacob announced that Catherine Deneuve will present the Palme D'Or tonight for Best Film of the Festival. The search was instigated after both Kim Basinger and Melanie Griffith turned down the honor. As with most things in life, the surprise was that the best choice was right in the Festival's backyard all along.

As Cannes nears closing, the city is rife with rumors, namely, who will take home the top honors at this year's "underwhelming" festival? Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark is a heavy favourite for the Palme with an additional trophy for singer-turned-actress Bjork who delivers a tour-de-force performance as a single mother. It's all up to Luc Besson and his jury. But -- as Gilles Jacob asked the press yesterday -- the main question is this: "will Besson vote for films he likes or for the ones he knows he could never make?" Harsh words, Gilles ... but we're all wondering the same.

Already the festival has awarded its first prizes. As we reported yesterday, the Critics Week jury selected Amores Perros from Mexico as the top film. In the Certain Regard section, the jury couldn't find anything to top the opener, as Rodrigo Garcia's Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her won the Gan Foundation prize -- which includes 200,000 francs to aid with French distribution.

Another film that has won raves from critics and audiences alike was Eureka from director Aoyama Shinji, which won the FIPRESCI Prize and the 26th Annual Ecumenical Prize. Despite its length (clocking in at just over 3 and a half hours) the film received a standing ovation from its audience. First Special Mention went to Fast Food Fast Women, a film with great tenderness about aging. Second Special Mention went to Code Inconnu, which offered provocative glimpses of contemporary Europe.

George Clooney (who has hung around Cannes for a bit of fun after the premiere of his film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?) apparently liked his haircut yesterday enough to take his hairdresser, Jacques Dessange, to lunch in Cap d'Antibes. Rumour has it the tip was as generous as the actor.

The buzz on the Croisette continues as Festival patrons still can't quite believe the figures from the AmFar charity auction. Hosted by Victoria's Secret models, the bidding started high when Prince Albert paid $38,000 to slowdance with supermodel Karen Mulder. A kiss from Laetitia Casta went for $20,000, but the winning bidder never showed up to claim his (or her) purchase. A lunch with Nelson Mandela brought in $100,000 for the charity. James Caan and Kenneth Branagh chipped in to buy a massage from Sports Illustrated Covergirl, Heidi Klum. Pictures splashed Saturday's French press with a smiling Branagh, at least, who at least claimed his prize. In all, more than three million dollars were raised for charity.

Milla Jovovich, in town as a L'Oreal spokeswoman, used AmFar to announce her new singing album, which she's hyping as "spacefunk." Her appearance in Cannes was to be short and sweet, as she returning to London to resume recording.

The Moving Pictures party at the Chateau de la Napoule Friday night was a hot ticket as evidenced by tuxedo-clad guests scaling the castle walls in an attempt to party crash, even as the party waned into the wee hours of the morning.

Rogue behaviour was easy to understand from the guests inside the party since MoPix provided enough alcohol to float a navy but not a crumb of food could be scrounged anywhere. The splashy drag queen revue and musical number by Jimmy Somerville helped numb those fainting from hunger…but the most fun was the huge live -cam screen that proved, even drunk, most film industry professionals can't dance worth a dime.

It's All About Packing Up…

Since it was the last big bash of the Festival, everyone made it a point to pay the price and come to the MoPix bash, which meant Staurday morning at the American Pavilion most of the students were working their counters with bleary eyes and strong hangovers. The barrista boys were hardest hit as they arrived home from the party at 7:00 am only to serve coffee at 8:00.

The Market closed Friday and the Cannes Festival began dismantling tents Saturday as crews start the long process of going home. A much different Festival than just ten days ago, the Croisette now looks a bit like moving day at the dorms as tired, weary workers box up everything - their task more difficult because they have to weave among the tourists who themselves show no signs of packing.

Still the Screenings Go On…

In competition: In the Mood for Love from Hong Kong director War Kar Wai is the story about a man and a woman trying to track down the infidelities of their respective spouses.

Also screening in competition, Swedish director Roy Andersson's Songs from the Second Floor portraying the lives - or "destinies" of 50 different characters. As Andersson explains, the film is about "human vulnerability, about humiliation and respect - but it is also about economics."

The final competition film is The Yards from American director James Gray. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, and Gray himself, The Yards is about a recently released convict hoping to put his life back together. Its star Marky Mark generated a huge crowd of followers last night in front of the beach where The Yards held its party. He's a little harder to recognize now that he's sporting a "Jesus" look.

Screening in Certain Regard is I Dreamed of Africa from director Hugh Hudson. The story revolves around Kuki Gallagher, who moved from Italy to Africa and there created a life for herself. It stars Kim Basinger and Vincent Perez.

Also in Certain Regard is Oh! Soo-Jung from Hong Sang-Soo of South Korea. It is the tale of a fragile relationship between a would-be novelist and a married woman, which puts the foibles of human relationships under the microscope.

For the second time in its festival history, Cannes will close with a film from a Canadian director. Stardom, screening out of competition, is from Director Denys Arcand who auditioned hundreds of actresses and models for the female lead Tina Menzal (a teenager who rises to the top of the fashion world before finally flaming out). After months of searching, he looked in his own backyard and found native Montreal actress Jessica Pare…once again proving talented and beautiful actresses (many of them capable of handing a statue to a director) can, more often than not, be found close to home.

Kathleen McInnis & Kerry Shaw