The Hindu : International / India & World : Aishwarya at Cannes

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Friday, May 13, 2005

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International - India & World

Aishwarya at Cannes

Indian beauty opens Film Festival

CANNES: The Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai and the U.S. director Alexander Payne officially opened this year's Cannes Film Festival amid a line-up of judges that looked like the guest list for the ultimate dinner party of artists and entertainers. The Indian beauty queen-turned-actress was a stunning presence at the international event (in picture).

At the opening ceremony on Wednesday night, the Belgian actress Cecile de France (Around the World in 80 Days) introduced the jury, who then watched as an acrobat from Cirque du Soleil twirled overhead on long cords in a spectacular display.

Among the jurors was Nandita Das, the Indian actress and social activist; Toni Morrison, the U.S. Nobel laureate in literature; Salma Hayek, the Mexican actress who worked for years to honour artist Frida Kahlo on the big screen; and John Woo, the action director (Face/Off), whose fight scenes are as beautifully choreographed as ballet.

The other jurors are Spanish actor Javier Bardem, nominated for an Academy Award for Before Night Falls; French film-makers Benoit Jacquot and Agnes Varda; Fatih Akin, the German director of Head-On, which won the Berlin Film Festival's top prize.

Together, they swept up Cannes' famed red carpet for the opening ceremony. Over 11 days, the nine jurors will debate the 21 films competing for the top prize, the Palme d'Or. Their leader is Emir Kusturica, the Sarajevo-born director who has already won that honour twice. Rai sat on the Cannes jury earlier.

For the first time, an Iraqi film will compete. Kilometre Zero is set in 1988, during the country's war with Iran.

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Aishwarya at Cannes