HOW'D IT GO AT CANNES PT. 2

The big news is that Wang Chao's LUXURY CAR won the top Un Certain Regard prize. Past winners include THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU, MOOLADE and BLISSFULLY YOURS so a US release looks good.

A round-up of translated info on ELECTION 2 and SILK's press and public screenings breaks down as follows.

Apparently ELECTION 2 gave its press screening to an almost sold-out house and was applauded enthusiastically at the end. A Chinese reporter asked a French reporter what he thought of the movie and was told that he loved it. And at the public screening there was reportedly screaming from some audience members when Louis Koo feeds the dogs.

Not so great over at the SILK press screening which featured considerable inappropriate laughter and walk-outs throughout.

The Pang Brothers' eye candy movie, RE-CYCLE, got panned in Variety (although they admit that it looks great) and Cannes even let the cast and crew walk up the red carpet although according to the rules they should have been restricted to the less prestigous blue carpet.

And hints are squirming out about Venice's possible line-up. Marco Muller, the festival's director, was seen at the Cannes reception for THE BANQUET so it looks like that one may be a gimme. And it sounds like Kore-eda's HANA is likely, as well.

Finally, Wong Kar-wai gave a shout-out to the sexiness of the jury this year, noting at the press conference that this was "the most hot-looking jury I've ever seen." Variety says he's talking about Zhang Ziyi and Monica Belluci but we all know he's talking about himself. And can we just mention how fabulously kitschy it was that the Cannes stage was decorated like the Oriental Hotel lobby from Wong Kar-wai's 2046 for the awards ceremony?

(Thanks to the sharp-eyed reader who did the translations on these)