Day 2- August 31: Hal Hartley's Kimono added to Program

The frenzy from Space Cowboys lasted into the early morning today at the luxurious Hotel des Bains, where the party was held after last night's screening. Although Sharon Stone has already presented Clint Eastwood with his Golden Lion, neither one of the stars is through with Biennale business.

This morning in the Casino, Eastwood led the much-talked-about conference about his career, led by French and Italian journalists. Afterwards, he took the time to reach out personally to adoring fans and signed the festival booklets and spare papers thrust at him by adoring fans. Tonight, Sharon Stone is at San Giorgio Maggiore Island serving as the honorary auctioneer in a fundraiser for AIDS research. Check out our videos: Clint Eastwood at the press conference and Sharon Stone on the passarella.

Now that the festival is underway, the talk has turned to films here in Lido. The screening of Seom (The Isle) was called to an emergency halt when one audience member broke down and nearly passed out. One wonders if the graphic scenes involving bait and human body parts triggered the woman's attack. Other audience members were so disgusted with its audacity that they booed during the film. In other festival news, Hal Hartley's film Kimono has been added to the schedule and will screen in the "Cinema of the Present" sidebar this weekend.

In the competition section, Uttara, from Indian filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta screened today. The film is one of the only Indian films on the international festival circuit, despite the fact that India produces more features than any country in the world. Dasgupta, a veteran of the major European festivals (Berlin, Venice, and Cannes) commented on Bollywood's meager festival presence, explaining that Indian filmmakers often wonder whether or not their film will be understood by other cultures. He noted that in many parts of India, globalization "doesn't mean a thing" and thus Indian films do not always reflect the Western world and its daily concerns.

Sade, from Benoit Jacquot (screening in the Sogni e Visioni section) also had a strong showing, with star Daniel Auteuil and the director in town today. Sade is a fictional look at the man who sparked the term "sadism." Jacquot admitted to "taking liberties" in his presentation of Sade. In the end, he thinks he's established a character "we'd all like to meet." Auteuil commented that the role was so simple for him that he is starting to worry about his choice of roles ... Hmmm... there could be worse problems in life.

Also scheduled today is Almost Famous from Flemish director Dominique Deruderre, who called his film "a social comedy with a Rocky quality." It follows a girl who is desperate to become famous, and was partly inspired by the legions of people who approach Deruderre with the same goal. "I say to them: does it matter what you are famous for?" He noted that legends like Shakespeare and Mozart were famous for the success they achieved, but today's generation aims for fame as the end result.

Tonight the Palagalileo screens Robert Altman's Dr. T and the Women and at last festival-goers will decide for themselves why Altman made the public plea to keep the ending a secret. Cinephiles are already talking about Iranian film The Circle, a look at five Iranian women and their daily struggles. The film does not screen until next Wednesday but already people are making sure to schedule time to see it.

Tomorrow, stay tuned for an update on Dr. T, as well as Tillsammans, the follow-up to Fucking Amal from Swedish director Lukas Moodysoon and Takeshi Kitano's Brother.

Kerry Shaw