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Day
Eight: Wednesday 17 May
The Concorde
landed in Nice yesterday, importing supermodels Karen Mulder, Ines
Ribero and Claudia Schiffer who will strut for Victoria's Secret
at the AMFAR tribute tomorrow. But they weren't the only "royalty"
in the Cote d'Azur Tuesday ... Proving that he can venture beyond
"the Palais" gates, Prince Albert of Monaco was spotted at the screening
of Backgammon in a little theatre downtown. He was
there to support his friend Wendy Braun, an actress in the film
about war-torn Bosnia.
Despite the
plethora of starlets in this town, the search continues for a presenter
to hand over the Palme D'or now that Kim Basinger has backed out.
Melanie Griffith was offered the job, but she politely declined,
preferring to "stay with her husband" (actor Antonio Banderas) because
that Sunday is their wedding anniversary. However she will still
be in town on Thursday to promote AmFar.
Ebert is
Everywhere
Willem Dafoe
took a break from filming in Poland to promote Shadow
of a Vampire, which screened yesterday. The veteran
actor of 41 features spent the morning at the American Pavilion
with the European press before chatting with film critic Roger Ebert
for a one-on-one discussion. Ebert tended to dominate the conversation
(perhaps he's just too comfortable offering his opinions???) but
Dafoe's modesty triumphed to steal the show. The audience cheered
loudly when Ebert called Dafoe's performance in Shadow of
a Vampire one of the best here.
Across the gates,
the Variety Pavilion and IFP hosted American Filmmakers today in
a panel discussion moderated (again) by Roger Ebert. The filmmakers,
Darren Aronofsky (Requiem
for a Dream), Griffin Dunne (Famous),
James Gray (The Yards),
Stephen Hopkins (Under
Suspicion), James Ivory (The
Golden Bowl), Amos Kollek (Fast
Food Fast Women),
Barbara Kopple (A Conversation
with Gregory Peck), Karyn Kusama (Girlfight),
E. Elias Merhige (The
Shadow of the Vampire), Frank Novak (Good
Housekeeping), Melvin Van Peebles (Bellyful),
and John Waters (Cecil
B. Demented) talked about their work as they relate
to the American Indie trends over the past few years.
Awards for
Everything and Everyone
French actor
Philippe Noiret was the Guest of Honor last night at La Cote restaurant
in the Carlton Hotel. The guest list included Catherine Deneuve,
Isabelle Huppert, Yasmina Reza and Bernard Tavernier (to name just
a few) who dined over foie gras and sea bass. The event was held
in honor of one of France's most revered actors, who has appeared
in 120 films, including La Vie et Rien d'Autre which
was screened before the meal. Upon receiving his trophy, Noiret
thanked Pierre Viot and Gilles Jacob (the directors of the festival)
as well as the three women in his life: his wife, daughter and grand-daughter.
Surprisingly
enough, for an upstart festival that eschews the traditional Cannes-glam,
the Slamdance party invite has become the hottest must-have ticket
tonight. The one thing even hotter than a Slamdance invite is the
martini-glass ranking done each night by "The Hollywood Reporter."
The coveted four-martini-glass ranking is so hot that bouncers have
been overheard turning away party goers whose look may bring down
their rating (particularly at the 'N Sync soiree last night).
One group that
resents this overblown festival security is the local bus drivers'
union. Cote d'Azur dus drivers have been on strike since Saturday,
expressing their resentment over poor security for the "common-folk"
now that Cannes is underway.
Lorenzo Mattoni,
the Italian artist who designed the Cannes poster for 2000, has
been omnipresent in this city through his art but has yet to make
a personal appearance. He is a world-renowned artist whose works
have appeared in Le Monde and The New Yorker.
Spice Girl
Geri Haliwell Gets "Therapy"
Emily Watson,
Julie Delpy, Lee Tamahori, Thomas Vinterburg and Soren Kragh-Jacobsen
are attached to a new project unveiled Tuesday at a Producers-on-the-Move
promotional event. Watson will also star in the next project by
Leslee Udwins called
In Search of the Assassin.
Former Spice
Girl Geri Haliwell has clinched her first starring role in the film
Therapy, a romantic comedy about career girl Amy
(Haliwell) who falls for her therapist. Shooting of the film is
due to begin in London this August for a Spring 2001 release and
a possible Cannes launch next year. The announcement is a nice bit
of timing, as Halliwell is in Cannes today for a private party and
can now also promote the project. Christine Vachon of Killer Films
(Boys Don't Cry) and Joy Patton of Clear Blue Sky
Productions (Titus, The Lizhun Defense) have announced
a production partnership; USA picked up Wong Kar-wai's
In The Mood for Love based on a 3-minute promo
reel; AtomFilms.com has bought four short films as well as announced
a new program called Ten Minutes Older, which will
showcase new shorts from established directors such as Bertolucci,
Jarmush, and Roeg.
Films Screening
Today
With a cast
that includes Catherine Deneuve and Icelandic singer Bjork, it's
no wonder that all of Cannes was curious about Dancer
in the Dark from Danish director Lars von Trier, which
screened in competition today. Deneuve came to von Trier of her
own accord -- having seen his film Breaking the Waves,
she learned about Dancer and wrote a letter to the
Danish director, saying that she would be available for a part.
Also in competition was Chunhyang
from director Im Kwon-Taek, the first film in competition at Cannes
from Korea. It is thought to be the most expensive Korean film ever
and uses 8,000 extras and 12,000 costumes. The film stars Cho Seung-Woo
and features 20-year old Lee Hyo-Jung in her screen debut.
Mimmo Calopresi's
film Preferisco
Il Rumore del Mare screens today in the Certain Regard
section. The Italian director said that his film "arises from
many doubts and a single certainty that good intentions and fine
words are not enough to help others." Also in the Certain Regard
is Lost Killers
from Georgian director Dito Tsintsadze, about a prostitute and illegal
Haitian fugitive who find themselves with an unexpected murder on
their hands.
The Directors'
Fortnight screens 3 films today: Koroshi
from Japanese film maker Masahiro Kobayashi about a man who must
live with his decision to kill for money;
Le Secret from French director Virginie
Wagon about a woman with a long suppressed secret; and Le
Chambre Obscure, a 14th century costume drama set in
Italy from Marie-Christine Questenbert. Finally, the Critics' Week
screens Good Housekeeping
from director Frank Novak who "fell in love" with
the characters. The film won the Grand Prize at Slamdance.
Kathleen
McInnis & Kerry Shaw
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