Wong Kar-Wai orders casual style for Cannes jurors

Cannes jury president Wong Kar-Wai emphasized that smoking and sunglasses would be allowed during jury meetings as the 2006 Festival de Cannes kicked off Wednesday.

Wong dressed in his trademark dark sunglasses was greeted at the opening with a clip from his movie 2046 and a live opera performance.


Cannes jury president Wong Kar-Wai with fellow jurors Monica Belluci and Zhang Ziyi. AP photo from Yahoo News.

His compatriot, Zhang Ziyi, joins him on the jury and both fielded questions in Mandarin from the journalist pool. Zhang at age 27 is one of youngest Cannes jurors ever.

The entire jury consists of Palestinian director Elia Suleiman, U.S. actor Samuel L. Jackson , Argentine director Lucrecia Martel, Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, Italian actress Monica Bellucci , British actor/director Tim Roth , British actress Helena Bonham-Carter and French director Patrice Leconte.

Critics pan Da Vinci Code, but controversy still swirls

Hard to say whether the negative reviews of critics at the Cannes film festival will have any impact on The Da Vinci Code's box office.

The movie is bound to do well simply because of the success of the book. However, will the critics keep some people from seeing the film?

Strangely the movie is creating the most controversy in Asia where countries like India, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines have talked of banning the film.


Audrey Tautou at the screening of The Da Vinci Code at the Cannes film festival on May 17. AP photo from Yahoo News.

Despite approval of censors, the film's opening may be delayed in India, and in Thailand they cut the last 10 minutes of the drama, but later reversed the decision after an appeal by Columbia Pictures.

It's likely all the hoopla from protesters will boost visibility of the Da Vinci Code, and thus may in the end increase sales for the Sony Pictures production.

A screening in China actually beat out the Cannes' "premiere" by about an hour, and the film appears to be generating much interest in that country.

Indian Muslims and Christians band together for Da Vinci Code ban

An unusual coalition of Christian and Muslim groups in India called for a ban on the controversial film The Da Vinci Code.

Leaders from both groups said the film, which depicts Jesus as a married man with progeny, insults the common beliefs of both groups.


Indian Christians demand ban of The Da Vinci Code movie on May 9 in Mumbai, India. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

Muslims also believe in Jesus as a prophet although they disagree with Christians on details of his life and on the question of his divinity.

Both groups called for protests if the film airs, and Syed Noori, president of the Mumbai-based Raza Academy even threatened a violent response.

The Da Vinci Code movie, if it follows the path of the novel, also portrays the conservative Opus Dei organization as a murderous group bent on hiding the truth of the life of Jesus.


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