Live from Cannes
Russian director hopes premiere gives boost to panned sequel
So what if your film becomes one of the biggest flops at home? There's always Cannes to salvage your reputation, which is just what is expected to happen to Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov.
The Exodus, the sequel to his Cannes-wowing and Oscar-winning 1994 film, Burnt by the Sun, premieres at the festival today. Set during the second world war, The Exodus was panned by Russian critics this month. Many were put off by the gung-ho nationalism advocated through the patriotic soldier (played by Mikhalkov).
The film cost US$55 million - making it the most expensive Russian production ever - but has yet to recoup half that.
Even so, Mikhalkov (right) is attracting plenty of interest on the Croisette; after all, Burnt by the Sun won a Grand Jury prize, and the lack of a big-name filmmaker towards the end of the festival has helped. Interviews with the director have been in high demand. But will many journalists still want to meet the reportedly temperamental Mikhalkov after watching his film?
Thai film gets screening as old Bangkok cinema burns
The talking point this weekend, however, should rightly be Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. The Thai feature brings a third Cannes appearance for director Apitchatpong Weerasekathul.
It's a sad irony that a Thai production is gracing the world's most important film festival during the week that a heritage cinema - among other landmarks - in Bangkok was burned to the ground.
Apitchatpong's film is one of the most intriguing competition entries - a non-linear exploration of the notion of reincarnation as an old man tries to explain his past lives to relatives. Although spiritual concerns remain at the core, Uncle Boonmee is also set against a political framework: the brutal campaign in the northeast against communist insurgents and sympathisers that left many children growing up in single-parent families.
