Highlights of Cannes film festival



CANNES- Here is a selection of treats, shocks, rows and other highlights from the 63rd Cannes film festival, which saw Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul win the Palme d'Or top prize on Sunday for "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives".
Catfish, mon amour:
A talking catfish made watery love to a princess in the dottiest scene of Apichatpong's film. Asia also made a mark at the festival with entries such as the erotic South Korean film "The Housemaid".



Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul with his Palme d'Or prize during the closing ceremony.
Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul with his Palme d'Or prize during the closing ceremony.
Robin the rich:
Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett kicked off the festival with the blockbuster "Robin Hood". Blanchett charmed the red carpet while Crowe's odd accent in the title role brought him some unwanted publicity in Britain.
Bashing the bankers:
Oliver Stone's blockbuster "Wall Street" sequel led the charge against bankers blamed for the financial crisis, while Charles Ferguson's documentary "Inside Job" presented the meltdown as a conspiracy by banks and US officials.
Acting up:
Spaniard Javier Bardem and French actress Juliette Binoche moved audiences with two award-winning performances: he in "Biutiful" by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and she in Abbas Kiarostami's "Certified Copy".
Watts new pussycat:
British-born, Australian-raised actress Naomi Watts was judged one of the belles of the festival hall, with two red carpet appearances: for Woody Allen's comedy "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger" and political thriller "Fair Game".
Emotion over Iran:
The festival and the French government condemned the jailing of Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi, prevented from sitting on the festival jury. French actress Juliette Binoche wept to hear that Panahi was on hunger strike.
Beat by Takeshi:
Japanese cult film-maker "Beat" Takeshi Kitano turned audiences' stomachs with a brutal scene involving a dentist's drill in his ultra-violent Yakuza gangster saga "Outrage".
Battle of Algeria:
France's colonial history spawned two films on Algeria: Xavier Beauvois's "Of Gods And Men" about monks kidnapped by Islamists, and Rachid Bouchareb's controversial Algerian war tale "Outside The Law", which drew street protests.
No-show showmen:
New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard didn't turn up to plug his entry "Film Socialism", cryptically citing "problems of a Greek type". US star Sean Penn also failed to show: he was testifying to the US Senate on Haiti's earthquake.
Is this a Jagger:
British rocker Mick Jagger amused fans at the launch of "Stones In Exile", a documentary about the classic Rolling Stones record "Exile on Main Street". Critics pegged it as a marketing move coinciding with the album's re-release.
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Tuesday, May 25th 2010
AFP
           


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