FRANCE: STARS WERE OUT IN CANNES FOR OPENING OF 53RD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Record ID: 389238

  • Title: FRANCE: STARS WERE OUT IN CANNES FOR OPENING OF 53RD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
  • Date: 10th May 2000
  • Summary: CANNES AT NIGHT
  • Embargoed: 25th May 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CANNES, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Communications
  • Reuters ID: LVA3NU4D8APU3C6QERZWIR12QY36
  • Story Text: The stars were out in Cannes as the 53rd International Film Festival got underway.Members of the jury and the cast of the opening film "Vatel" were joined by famous faces from the worlds of fashion and film to celebrate the opening of the festival.
    After weeks of preperation, the Cannes Film Festival has finally begun.Some of the most important figures in the film industry have gathered in the south of France for a twelve day celebration of cinema and even at this early stage, thoughts are turning to the competition for the prestigious Palme D'Or.The jury members, lead by French director Luc Besson, held a press conference prior to the opening ceremony, and the assembled members of the media were not slow to remind them of the criticism that has been leveled at the juries of past festivals in recent years.They also quizzed them on a range of subjects ranging from their ability to assess Asian films, their political activism and the state of the German film industry.
    Before the opening ceremony crowds gathered under rainy skies to catch the first glimpses of the glitz and glamour that Cannes is famous for.As well as the members of the jury and cast of the opening film "Vatel" , famous faces included Briget Fonda, Claudia Schiffer, Andie Macdowell and Gong Li.
    After the opening ceremony, there was a screening of "Vatel" starring Gerard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Julian Sands and Arielle Dombasle.In the film Depardieu has to organise three days of lavish festivities for Duke de Conde who is trying to impress the King, Louis XIV.Although things go well at first, there is a tragic end to the tale.The sumptuous production delighted the audience, as did the lavish decor of the post-opening dinner.
    The dinner was a recreation of the extravagant banquets staged in "Vatel" with costumed extras mingling with the stars and no detail had been forgotten - right down to fireworks on the dining tables.
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