Nicole Kidman vamps it up in steamy Cannes contender

CANNES: Nicole Kidman sizzles as a small-town vamp drawn to a convicted murderer in Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy", marking the US director's return to Cannes Thursday after his harrowing hit "Precious".

The steamy new picture, set partly in Florida's humid swamps, features a bleached-blonde Kidman as Charlotte, who carries on correspondence with dozens of prison inmates in the late 1960s.

The film, one of 22 in the running for the festival's Palme d'Or top prize to be handed out on Sunday, divided the audience at an early press screening, drawing an even mix of applause and boos.

The Australian Kidman, who dials down her natural glamour and turns up the sex appeal in the role of the small-town seductress, said she had been looking for "something raw and more dangerous" when she was given Daniels' screenplay.

"I had seen 'Precious' and I thought it was amazing and I wanted to work with him," she said after the screening.

"Precious", which tells the story of an African-American incest survivor, screened in the festival's Un Certain Regard sidebar section before going on to two Academy Award nominations. (AFP)

Cannes curtain goes up with whimsy, glamour

CANNES: Kooky comedy and buffoonery are on the agenda Wednesday as the 65th Cannes Film Festival, with its trademark mix of high cinematic art and Hollywood glitz, kicks off on a light note.

US director Wes Anderson brings his whimsical touch with the opening film "Moonrise Kingdom", a pre-teen elopement fantasy whose star-packed cast includes Bruce Willis as a small-town cop and Bill Murray as a morose parent.

But as the celebs march up the red carpet for the gala premiere, Sacha Baron Cohen's zany alter ego General Aladeen, star of "The General", will try to hijack media attention with a press conference in the nearby Carlton Hotel.

Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Robert Pattinson are among the Hollywood royalty who will join high-brow film-makers at the Riviera resort for the next 12 days at the world's top film showcase.

This year's bash features druggy roadtrips, soul-searching drama and stylish gangland flicks and sees the return of such Cannes grandees as David Cronenberg, Ken Loach and Michael Haneke.

Star-wise, the 2012 line-up promises to dazzle with Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Kylie Minogue, Kristen Stewart, Pattinson and Pitt just a few of the A-listers expected in town.

The festival will also feature its usual dose of champagne-fuelled parties, high-stakes movie deal-making, and publicity stunts such as British comic Baron Cohen's armed intervention at the Carlton Hotel.

The "Ali G", "Borat" and "Bruno" star, who turned up in military regalia at the Oscars and pretended to pour late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's ashes onto an interviewer, has already premiered his movie and is in Cannes simply to cause a stir.

He turned up at the festival in a "mankini" in 2006 to promote "Borat".

Twenty-two films -- none of which was directed by a woman -- are vying for the coveted Palme d'Or award at the festival's glitzy gala finale on May 27.

Palme d'Or-winner Nanni Moretti of Italy heads up a nine-strong jury -- which includes actor Ewan McGregor and fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier -- that will pick the winner.

Moretti was due to hold a press conference later Wednesday ahead of the evening opening ceremony.

Two US mavericks are running for Cannes gold: Lee Daniels's keenly awaited "The Paperboy" stars Kidman opposite John Cusack and Zac Efron in the tale of a reporter investigating a death row case.

The second is Jeff Nichols, whose "Mud", about two teenage boys who form a pact with a fugitive, was a surprise entry.

Canada's Cronenberg brings Manhattan thriller "Cosmopolis", adapted from Don DeLillo's novel and starring Pattinson as a billionaire asset manager journeying through the city in a stretch limo.

Brazil's Walter Salles has adapted Jack Kerouac's cult novel "On the Road", while Australians John Hillcoat and Andrew Dominik bring two US-set works: bootlegging drama "Lawless" and the mobster flick "Killing Them Softly".

Among the European giants, Austria's Haneke will show "Amour" (Love), starring Isabelle Huppert as the daughter of a woman hit by a stroke.

Britain's Loach returns for the 17th time with the comedy "The Angel's Share", about ex-offenders who turn to whisky-making.

One of three French filmmakers in the race, Jacques Audiard has cast Cotillard as a killer-whale trainer hit by a tragedy in "Rust and Bone".

Romania's Cristian Mungiu, who scooped the 2007 Palme for a Communist-era abortion drama, returns with "Beyond the Hills" about two orphans, while Italian Matteo Garrone takes on TV culture with "Reality".

Politics holds a slot in the Palme d'Or race with "After the Battle" by Egypt's Yousry Nasrallah, about the Arab Spring, while French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy shows an out-of-competition documentary on the Libyan war.

Asia gets a look-in with two South Koreans: Im Sang-soo with erotic thriller "Taste of Money", and Hong Sang-soo with "In Another Country".

And Palme-winning Iranian Abbas Kiarostami returns at 71 with "Like Someone in Love", a Japan-set tale about a student who works as a prostitute.

Last year's jury chaired by Robert De Niro crowned Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" starring Pitt and Sean Penn. (AFP)

Cannes pays midnight tribute to Bollywood

A documentary celebrating one hundred years of Indian film has been screened at Cannes.

Shekhar Kapur project Bollywood: The World's Greatest Love Story was given a midnight screening at the film festival, AFP reports.

"The audience should see why over a billion people are having a love affair with this kind of cinema," said the Elizabeth filmmaker.

"It's been quite a delicate process to do this, including clips from almost 100 films from black-and-white to today's cinema," added Kapur, who appeared as a jury member at last year's festival.

Festival director Thierry Frémaux advised the audience: "You can dance during the film if you want."

The 81-minute documentary traced the history of Bollywood from the first feature film Raja Harishchandra to the industry's current position as a globally-watched product.

Indian actors including Minissha Lamba, Mallika Sherawat, Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto are attending the 2011 festival.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her tenth appearance at the festival on its opening night.

Indian filmmakers to be promoted in Cannes

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will promote six Indian filmmakers at this year's Cannes International Film Festival, scheduled to be held from May 11 to 22, as apart of a range of activities designed to increse collabroation between Indian and overseas film industries

The six filmmakers include Anurag Kashyap (Dev D Gulal), Dibakar Banarjee (Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Love Sex Aur Dokha), Anusha Rizvi (Peepli Live), Laximikant Shetgaonkar (Paltadacho Munis), Sekhar Kammula (Ananad, Happy Days) and Haobam Paban Kumar (AFSPA 1958), the Entertinment Network of Goa said in a release here today.

The filmmakers will be introduced through a series of meetings and networking events at the India Pavilion in the international village. The events include networking sessions with France’s CNC, Telefilm Canada, the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) and Israeli delegates.

The CNC will give a presentation on the new co-production treaty between France and India, while Binger film lab will also co-host a panel on how to co-produce with India.

In addition, trailers and information kits about the selected directors work will be presented in the India Pavilion, the release added.

Cannes festival to celebrate Bollywood

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival will celebrate the success and wonder of Bollywood in its 64th edition beginning next month.

'Bollywood, The greatest love story ever told', a feature film produced by Shekhar Kapoor and UTV Motion Pictures exclusively for the Festival de Cannes, will be screened during the festival that runs from May 11 to May 22. The film will be shown out of competition.

The film is directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and American documentary filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist. Mehra had written and directed the 2006 Bollywood blockbuster 'Rang de Basanti'.

According to Cannes festival authorities, the origin of 'Bollywood, The greatest love story ever told', could be traced back to a conversation with Shekhar Kapoor, a member of the Cannes jury in 2010.

The question then was: Why not make a film that brings together the most beautiful moments in the history of Indian musical films, with all their moving pageantry and dance? "A few months later, there was 'Bollywood, The greatest love story ever told', a Cannes festival release said today while announcing the selection of the film.

The 81-minute film is said to be a swirling and poignant montage in which Shekhar Kapoor, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Jeff Zimbalist pay tribute to this cinema genre that has contributed to establishing India's identity in the eyes of the world and to making Mumbai one of the world capitals of film history.