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Lemming kicks off Cannes fest
The Cannes Film Festival opened with Lemming, directed by German-born Dominik Moll.
The Cannes Film Festival opened on Wednesday with Lemming, directed by German-born Dominik Moll, kicking off a 12-day extravaganza that brings with it partying and pouting, networking and negotiating.
Hollywood royalty graced the red carpet for the world's media to capture, and cinema history was made when the sixth and final instalment of George Lucas's hugely successful Star Wars series get its world premiere on Sunday.
The Riviera resort is a hive of activity, with hospitality tents lining the beach, luxury cruisers moored offshore and restaurants quickly filling.
There is also the matter of prizes, and after the storm surrounding last year's winner, organisers appear content to sail for calmer waters in 2005 with a competition that features established directors including four Palme d'Or winners.
In 2004 the coveted award went to Michael Moore's Bush-bashing polemic Fahrenheit 9/11, which, accompanied by European indignation over the invasion of Iraq and America's war on terrorism in general, gave Cannes a political flavour.
That is not to say the 21 main competition entries fail to reflect some of today's burning issues.
Showing later on Wednesday is Kilometre Zero by Iraqi director Hiner Saleem, who sets his film during the Iran-Iraq war and explores ethnic tensions between Kurds and Arabs which exist to this day.
DARK MOOD
Lemming is a thriller starring Laurent Lucas and Charlotte Rampling, and is in keeping with the dark mood pervading many of this year's entries.
Themes of paternity and violence stand out, as does Asia's strong showing with five entries in the main competition by directors from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.
Previous Palme d'Or winners include Germany's Wim Wenders, whose Don't Come Knocking features a down-and-out Western hero looking for redemption, and American Gus Van Sant who is back with Last Days.
America's Jim Jarmusch brings together an all-star cast including Bill Murray, Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange and Julie Delpy in Broken Flowers, which follows the resolutely single Don who goes out in search of a son he did not know he had.
Other heavy-hitters include Canada's David Cronenberg (A History of Violence), Denmark's Lars von Trier (Manderlay), Israel's Amos Gitai (Free Zone) and German-born Michael Haneke (Cache/Hidden).
American veteran Woody Allen is expected in Cannes on Thursday to present his Match Point, set among the English upper class and starring Scarlett Johansson.
