The 2002 Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski.^[1]

Jury[link]

• David Lynch, President
• Sharon Stone
• Michelle Yeoh
• Christine Hakim
• Régis Wargnier
• Bille August
• Raúl Ruiz
• Claude Miller
• Walter Salles

Films in Competition[link]

• 24 Hour Party People by Michael Winterbottom
• About Schmidt by Alexander Payne
• All or Nothing by Mike Leigh
• Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore
• Chi-hwa-seon by Im Kwon-taek
• Demonlover by Olivier Assayas
• Irréversible by Gaspar Noé
• Kedma by Amos Gitai
• L'Adversaire by Nicole Garcia
• L'ora di religione by Marco Bellocchio
• Le Fils by Dardenne brothers
• Marie-Jo et ses deux amours by Robert Guédiguian
• Mies vailla menneisyyttä by Aki Kaurismäki
• O Princípio da Incerteza by Manoel de Oliveira
• Punch-Drunk Love by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Ren Xiao Yao by Jia Zhangke
• Russkiy kovcheg by Alexander Sokurov
• Spider by David Cronenberg
• Sweet Sixteen by Ken Loach
• Ten by Abbas Kiarostami
• The Pianist by Roman Polanski
• Yadon ilaheyya by Elia Suleiman

Un Certain Regard[link]

• Avazhayé Sarzaminé Madariyam by Bahman Ghobadi
• Balzac et la Petite Tailleuse Chinoise by Dai Sijie
• Bemani by Dariush Mehrjui
• Carnages by Delphine Gleize
• 17 fois Cécile Cassard by Christophe Honoré
• Shuang tong by Chen Kuo-Fu
• El Bonaerense by Pablo Trapero
• Fararishtay kifti rost by Jamshed Usmonov
• Heremakono by Abderrahmane Sissako
• Itiraf by Zeki Demirkubuz
• Ku Qi De Nü Ren by Liu Bingjian
• La chatte à deux têtes by Jacques Nolot
• Long Way Home by Peter Sollett
• Madame Satã by Karim Aïnouz
• Rachida by Yamina Bachir
• Sud sanaeha by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
• Sunduq al-dunyâ by Usama Muhammad
• Ten Minutes Older by Spike Lee, Aki Kaurismäki, Chen Kaige, Jim Jarmusch, Werner Herzog, Víctor Erice, Wim Wenders
• Terra incognita by Ghassan Salhab
• Tomorrow La Scala! by Francesca Joseph
• Une part du ciel by Bénédicte Liénard
• Yazgi by Zeki Demirkubuz

Films out of Competition[link]

• And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen by Claude Lelouch
• Ararat by Atom Egoyan
• Carlo Giuliani, ragazzo by Francesca Comencini
• Cidade de Deus by Fernando Meirelles
• De l'autre côté by Chantal Akerman
• Devdas by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
• Être et avoir by Nicolas Philibert
• Femme Fatale by Brian De Palma
• Histoires de festival by Gilles Jacob
• Hollywood Ending by Woody Allen
• Kagami no onnatachi by Yoshishige Yoshida
• La dernière lettre by Frederick Wiseman
• Murder by Numbers by Barbet Schroeder
• Searching for Debra Winger by Rosanna Arquette
• Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron by Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones by George Lucas
• The Kid Stays in the Picture by Brett Morgen, Nanette Burstein

Awards[link]

• Palme d'Or: The Pianist by Roman Polanski
• Grand Prize of the Jury: Mies vailla menneisyyttä by Aki Kaurismäki
• Jury Prize: Yadon ilaheyya by Elia Suleiman
• Best Actor: Olivier Gourmet for Le Fils
• Best Actress: Kati Outinen for Mies vailla menneisyyttä
• Best Director:
  • Im Kwon-taek for Chi-hwa-seon
  • Paul Thomas Anderson for Punch-Drunk Love
• Short Film Palme d'Or: Eso Utan by Péter Mészáros
• Best Screenplay: Sweet Sixteen by Paul Laverty
• 55th Anniversary Prize: Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore
• Caméra d'Or: Bord de mer by Julie Lopes-Curval
• Golden Camera - Special Mention: Japón by Carlos Reygadas
• Cinéfondation Award: Um Sol Alaranjado by Eduardo Valente
• Un Certain Regard Award: Sud sanaeha by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
• Critics Week Grand Prize: Respiro by Emanuele Crialese
• Canal+ Award: De Mesmer, con amor o Té para dos by Salvador Aguirre, Alejandro Lubezki
• Kodak Short Film Award: De Mesmer, con amor o Té para dos by Salvador Aguirre, Alejandro Lubezki
• Young Critics Award - Best Short: Möte med ondskan by Reza Parsa
• Young Critics Award - Best Feature: Respiro by Emanuele Crialese
• Grand Golden Rail: Filles perdues, cheveux gras by Claude Duty
• Small Golden Rail: De Mesmer, con amor o Té para dos by Salvador Aguirre, Alejandro Lubezki
• C.I.C.A.E. Award: Morvern Callar by Lynne Ramsay
• Gras Savoye Award: Mémoires incertaines by Michale Boganim
• FIPRESCI Prize:
  • Matir Moina by Tareque Masud (Director's Fortnight)^[2]
  • Yadon ilaheyya by Elia Suleiman (Competition)
  • Heremakono by Abderrahmane Sissako (Un Certain Regard)
• Prize of the Ecumenical Jury: Mies vailla menneisyyttä by Aki Kaurismäki
• Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention:
  • L'ora di religione (Il sorriso di mia madre) by Marco Bellocchio
  • Le Fils by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenner
• France Culture Award:
  • Foreign Cineaste of the Year: No Quarto da Vanda by Pedro Costa
  • French Cineaste of the Year: Mischka by Jean-François Stévenin
• Award of the Youth:
  • Foreign Film: Morvern Callar by Lynne Ramsay
  • French Film: Carnages by Delphine Gleize
• François Chalais Award: Gomgashtei dar Aragh by Bahman Ghobadi

References[link]

External links[link]

• 2002 Cannes Film Festival
• Cannes Film Festival:2002 at Internet Movie Database

Cannes International Film Festival
200px
Location	Cannes, France
Language	International
http://www.festival-cannes.com

The Cannes International Film Festival (French: Le Festival International du Film de Cannes or just Festival de Cannes), is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is the world's most prestigious and publicized film festival.^[1][2][3] The invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

The 2012 Cannes Film Festival took place from May 16 to May 27, 2012^[4]. The President of the Jury was the Italian film director Nanni Moretti.

History[link]

The Cannes Film Festival has its origins in the late 1930s when Jean Zay, the French Minister of National Education, on the proposal of Philippe Erlanger and with the support of the British and Americans,^{[clarification needed]} set up an international cinematographic festival. In 1947, the festival was held as the "Festival du film de Cannes", where films from sixteen countries were presented. Moreover, the principle of equality was introduced, so that the jury was to be made up only of one representative per country.^[5] Also, this year the festival was held at the made-for-the-occasion Palais des Festivals, although the roof was unfinished and blew off during a storm. The festival was not held in 1948 and 1950 on account of budgetary problems. In 1951, owing to better relations between France and Italy, the Cannes Festival was moved to Spring, while the Mostra remained in Autumn.

In 1955 the Golden Palm was created, replacing the Grand Prix du Festival which had been given until that year. In 1957 Dolores del Rio was the first female member of the jury as a Sélection officielle – Member. In 1959 the Marché du Film (Film Market) was founded, giving the festival a commercial character and facilitating exchanges between sellers and buyers in the film industry. Today it has become the first international platform for film commerce.^[6]

In 1962 the International Critics' Week was born, created by the French Union of Film Critics as the first parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival. Its goal was to showcase first and second works by directors from all over the world, not succumbing to commercial tendencies.^[7] In 1965 an hommage was paid to Jean Cocteau after his death, and he was named Honorary President for life. The next year, Olivia de Havilland was named the first female president of the festival.

The 1968 festival was halted on 19 May 1968. Some directors, such as Carlos Saura and Milos Forman, had withdrawn their films from the competition. On 18 May, filmmaker Louis Malle along with a group of directors took over the large room of the Palais and interrupted the projections in solidarity with students and labour on strike throughout France,^[8] and in protest to the eviction of the then President of the Cinémathèque Française. The filmmakers achieved the reinstatement of the President, and they founded the Film Directors' Society (SRF) that same year.^[9] In 1969 the SRF, led by Pierre-Henri Deleau created the Directors' Fortnight, a new non-competitive section that programs a selection of films from around the world, distinguished by the independent judgment displayed in the choice of films.^[10]

The "Palais des Festivals" (2000)

During the 1970s, important changes occurred in the Festival. In 1972 Robert Favre Le Bret was named the new President, and Maurice Bessy the Managing Director. He immediately introduced an important change in the selection of the participating films. Until that date, the different countries chose which films would represent them in the festival. Bessy created one committee to select French films, and another for foreign films.^[11] In 1978 Gilles Jacob assumed the President position, introducing the Caméra d'Or award and the Un Certain Regard section. Other changes were the decrease of length of the festival down to thirteen days, reducing the number of selected films thus; also, until that point the Jury was composed by Film Academics, and Jacob started to introduce celebrities and professionals from the film industry.^[12]

In 1983 a new, much bigger Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was built to host the Festival. It was nicknamed "The Bunker" and provoked many reactions against it.^[13] In 1984 Pierre Viot replaced Robert Favre Le Bret as President of the Festival.

Stars posing for photographers are a part of Cannes folklore.

It wasn't until 1995 that Gilles Jacob created the last section of the Official Selection: la Cinéfondation. Its aim was to support the creation of works of cinema in the world and to contribute to the entry of the new scenario writers in the circle of the celebrities.^[14] The Cinéfondation was completed in 2000 with La Résidence and in 2005 L'Atelier. The Festival's current President, Gilles Jacob, was appointed in 2000, and in 2002 the Festival officially adopted the name Festival de Cannes.

Impact[link]

The festival has become an important showcase for European films. Jill Forbes and Sarah Street argue in European Cinema: An Introduction, that Cannes "became...extremely important for critical and commercial interests and for European attempts to sell films on the basis of their artistic quality" (page 20).^[15] Forbes and Street also point out that, along with other festivals such as Venice and Berlin, Cannes offers an opportunity to determine a particular country's image of its cinema and generally foster the notion that European cinema is "art" cinema.^[15]

Additionally, given massive media exposure, the non-public festival is attended by many movie stars and is a popular venue for film producers to launch their new films and attempt to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the globe.

Programmes[link]

The Cannes Film Festival is organised in various sections:^[16]

• The Official Selection – The main event of the festival.
  • In Competition – The twenty films competing for the Palme d'Or. They are projected in the Théâtre Lumière.
  • Un Certain Regard – Twenty films selected from cultures near and far; original and different works. They are projected at the Salle Debussy.
  • Out of Competition – These films are also projected in the Théâtre Lumière but do not compete for the main prize.
  • Special Screenings – The selection committee chooses for these films an environment specially adapted to their particular identity.
  • Cinéfondation – About fifteen shorts and medium-length motion pictures from film schools over the world are presented at the Salle Buñuel.
  • Short Films – The shorts competing for the Short Film Palme d'Or are presented at the Buñuel and Debussy theatres. There are approximately 10 films in this competition.
• Parallel Sections – These are non-competitive programmes dedicated to discovering other aspects of cinema.
  • Cannes Classics – It celebrates the heritage of film, aiming to highlight works of the past, presented with brand new or restored prints.
  • Tous les Cinémas du Monde – It showcases the vitality and diversity of cinema across the world. Each day, one country is invited to present a range of features and shorts in celebration of its unique culture, identity and recent film works.
  • Caméra d'Or – It rewards the best first film of the Festival, choosing among the debutants' works among the Official Selection, the Directors' Fortnight and the International Critics' Week selections.
  • Cinéma de la Plage – Screening of Cannes Classics and Out of Competition films for the mass public on Macé beach, preceded by a programme dedicated to film music.
• Other Sections – Produced by outside organizations during the Cannes Festival.
  • Directors' Fortnight
  • International Critics' Week
• Events
  • Marché du Film – The busiest movie market of the world.
  • Masterclasses – Given in public by world renowned filmmakers.
  • Tributes – Honors internationally renowned artists with the presentation of the Festival Trophee following the screening of one of their films.
  • Producers Network – An opportunity to make international co-productions.
  • Exhibitions – Each year, an artist, a body of work or a cinematographic theme becomes the focus of an exhibition that diversifies or illustrates the event's programme.
  • 60th Anniversary – Events organised in 2007 dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Festival.

Juries[link]

Prior to the beginning of each event, the Festival's board of directors appoints the juries who hold sole responsibility for choosing which films will receive a Cannes award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their body of work and respect from their peers.^[17]

• Feature Films – An international jury composed of a President and various film or art personalities, who determine the prizes for the feature films in Competition.
• Cinéfondation and Short Films – Composed of a President and four film personalities. It awards the Short Film Palme d'Or as well as the three best films of the Cinéfondation.
• Un Certain Regard – Composed of a President, journalists, students in cinema, and industry professionals. It awards the Un Certain Regard Prize for best film and can, moreover, honour two other films.
• Caméra d'Or – Composed of a President, as well as film directors, technicians, and French and international critics. They award the best film in any category.

Awards[link]

Palme d'Or attributed to Apocalypse Now at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival

The most prestigious award given out at Cannes is the Palme d'Or ("Golden Palm") for the best film.

• Competition
  • Palme d'Or – Golden Palm
  • Grand Prix – Grand Prize of the Festival
  • Prix du Jury – Jury Prize
  • Palme d'Or du court métrage – Best Short Film
  • Prix d'interprétation féminine – Best Actress
  • Prix d'interprétation masculine – Best Actor
  • Prix de la mise en scène – Best Director
  • Prix du scénario – Best Screenplay
• Other Sections
  • Prix Un Certain Regard – Young talent, innovative and audacious works
  • Cinéfondation prizes – Student films
  • Caméra d'Or – Best first feature film
• Given by Independent Entities
  • Prix de la FIPRESCI – International Federation of Film Critics Prize
  • Prix Vulcain – Awarded to a technical artist by the CST
  • International Critics' Week Prizes
  • Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
  • Palm Dog, for best canine performance.^[18]
  • Queer Palm, for LGBT-related films.^[19]

See also[link]

	France portal
	Film portal

• Directors' Fortnight
• List of Palme d'Or winners
• Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Cannes: Fifty Years of Sun, Sex & Celluloid : Behind the Scenes at the World's Most Famous Film Festival by Peter Bart (Miramax, 1997)
• Cannes – A Festival Virgin's Guide by Benjamin Craig (Cinemagine Media Publishing, 2004)
• Hollywood on the Riviera: The Inside Story of the Cannes Film Festival by Cari Beauchamp and Henri Behar (William Morrow & Co, 1992)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cannes Film Festival

• Cannes Film Festival official website
• Cannes Film Festival Blog
• Cannes Film Festival: A Potted History
• Radio France Internationale coverage of the Cannes Film Festival 2010 (English)
• Radio France Internationale coverage of the Cannes Film Festival 2011(English)
• Footage from the 1958 Cannes Film Festival
• Cannes – A Festival Virgin's Guide – Detailed festival history and information for attendees

Coordinates: 43°33′03.10″N 7°01′02.10″E / 43.550861°N 7.01725°E / 43.550861; 7.01725

Film festivals
List of film festivals Europe North/Central America Oceania Documentary film festivals New Media art festivals

A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. Increasingly film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings.^[1] The films may be of recent date and, depending upon the focus of the individual festival, can include international releases as well as films produced by the organisers' domestic film industry. Sometimes there is a focus on a specific film-maker or genre (e.g., film noir) or subject matter (e.g., horror film festivals). A number of film festivals specialise in short films, each with its defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events.

History[link]

The first major film festival was held in Venice in 1932; the other major and oldest film festivals of the world are: Cannes Film Festival (1939), Festival del film Locarno (1946), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (1946), Edinburgh International Film Festival (1947), Melbourne International Film Festival (1951), Berlin International Film Festival (1951) and Toronto International Film Festival (1976).^[2]

The Edinburgh International Film Festival in the UK was established in 1947 and is the longest continually running film festival in the world. Raindance Film Festival is the UK's largest celebration of independent film-making and is taking place in London in October.^[3]

The first North American high film festival was the Columbus International Film & Video Festival, also known as The Chris Awards, held in 1953. According to the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco, "The Chris Awards (is) one of the most prestigious documentary, educational, business and informational competitions in the U.S; (it is) the oldest of its kind in North America and celebrating its 54th year."

It was followed four years later by the San Francisco International Film Festival held in March 1957 whose emphasis was on feature-length dramatic films. The festival played a major role in introducing foreign films to American audiences. Among the films shown in its founding year were Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood and Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali.

Today there are thousands of film festivals around the world, ranging from high profile festivals such as Sundance Film Festival (Park City, UT) to horror festivals such as Terror Film Festival (Philadelphia, PA), and the first U.S. film festival dedicated to honoring the impact of music in film: the Park City Film Music Festival: http://www.PCFMF.com.

Digital feature film distribution began in 2005, along with the arrival of the world's first online film festival, the GreenCine Online Film Festival, sponsored by DivX.^[4]

Entry fee[link]

The Berlin Film Festival in 2007

Most film festivals require filmmakers to pay an entry fee to have their works considered for screening. This is especially commonplace among larger film festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest and even smaller "boutique" festivals such as the Miami International Film Festival and the British Urban Film Festival in London.

However, not all film festivals require an entry fee. Rotterdam Film Festival, for example, does not charge an entry fee to submit work. There are also many smaller film festivals in the United States, such as the Stony Brook Film Festival in Long Island, New York, the Northwest Filmmakers' Festival, or the Sicilian Film Festival in Miami, Florida, which do not charge entry fees; however, acceptance of films is usually more limited, and such film festivals do not necessarily attract big names in their audiences like Sundance and Telluride do. In some cases, such as the Portland International Film Festival, there is an entry fee, but it is waived for filmmakers within a certain region, such as the Northwestern United States.

Significant or notable festivals[link]

Red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes.

Traverse City Film Festival and their giant inflatable movie screen

The three most prestigious film festivals are commonly regarded to be that of Cannes, Berlin and Venice;^[5] these festivals are sometimes called the "Big Three."^[6] Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski's The Three Colors Trilogy were each made for these festivals, with Blue for Venice, White for Berlin, and Red for Cannes.^[5]

The Toronto International Film Festival is North America's most popular festival. Time wrote it had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period."^[7] Seattle International Film Festival is credited as being the largest film festival in the USA, regularly showing over 400 films in a month across the city.^[8] The Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival and Gimli Film Festival are also major festivals in North America, as is the Vancouver International Film Festival, the fifth largest film festival in North America.

• "A" Festivals: The festivals in Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Shanghai, Moscow, San Sebastián, Montréal, Locarno (since 2002), Karlovy Vary, Mar del Plata, Cairo, Tokyo, and Warsaw are listed as "A festivals", or "category one" by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF).^[9]

• Experimental films: Ann Arbor Film Festival was started in 1963. It is the oldest continually operated experimental film festival in North America and has become one of the premiere film festivals for independent and, primarily, experimental filmmakers to showcase their work.^{[citation needed]}

• Independent films: In the US, Telluride Film Festival,^{[citation needed]} Sundance Film Festival,^[10][11] Austin's South by Southwest, and New York City's Tribeca Film Festival, are all considered significant festivals for independent film. The Zero Film Festival is significant as the first and only festival exclusive to self-financed filmmakers.^[12] The biggest independent film festival in the UK is Raindance Film Festival.^[3]

• North American: The San Francisco International Film Festival, started in 1957, is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. It highlights current trends in international filmmaking and video production with an emphasis on work that has not yet secured U.S. distribution. The Toronto International Film Festival, begun in 1976, is regarded North America's most major and most prestigious film festival, and the most widely attended worldwide. Toronto's Hot Docs is the leading North American documentary film festival. Toronto also has the largest amount of film festivals in the world, ranging from cultural, independent, and historic films. The largest festival, in terms of the number of features shown, is the Seattle International Film Festival, screening 270 features, and approximately 150 short films.^{[citation needed]} The Whistler Film Festival, with is amazing location and breathtaking scenery, is getting bigger every year with more than 80 screenings and a well-rounded Industry Summit. Meanwhile, the New York Film Festival only shows a few films in each year, but it still has big impact in the United States.^{[citation needed]} The Sundance film festival is a major festival for independent film.

• Latin American significance: The Cartagena Film Festival, founded by Victor Nieto in 1960, is the oldest film festival in Latin America.^[13] The Festival de Gramado (or Gramado Film Festival) Gramado, Brazil along with the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico are considered to be the most important film festivals of Latin America. It was first held in 1973, awarding Latin American films. The Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival has been held since 1975 in that Spanish city. While the Expresión en Corto International Film Festival is the largest competitive film festival in Mexico, specializing in emerging talents, and is held each year during the last week of July in the two colonial cities of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. Among Spanish speaking countries the Dominican International Film Festival is held annually in Puerto Plata, DR, the Valdivia International Film Festival is held annually in the city of Valdivia. It is arguable the most important film festival in Chile.^{[citation needed]}

• Animation: Founded in 1960, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival is the oldest international film festival dedicated exclusively to animation. The others are: Zagreb (f. 1972) Ottawa (f. 1976), Hiroshima (f. 1985), KROK (f. 1989), and Anima Mundi (f. 1992). There are also a variety of regional festivals in various countries.

• Asian Film Festival: Most notable amongst the Asian Film Festivals are the Osian's-Cinefan Film Festival, which was recently expanded to include Arab Cinema as well, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

• African festivals Significant African festivals based on the continent include the biannual Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou FESPACO in Burkina Faso, the annual Durban International Film Festival which has grown in importance for industry with the addition of a co-production forum and Talent Campus.

• European festivals The biggest European festival is the Cannes film festival in France along with Berlin and Venice.

• Art and Technology: The Palo Alto International Film Festival, a program of the Palo Alto Institute, is the only film festival in the United States to celebrate the convergence of art and technology, by focusing on the influence of emerging technologies on cinema.

• Emerging Filmmakers: The KahBang Film Festival, part of the KahBang Music-Art-Film Festival in Bangor, Maine, is one of the newest film festivals in the United States to discover and showcase the work from Emerging Filmmakers throughout the world. Their programming continues to be unique by also showcasing the best new Comedy features, Music Documentaries, and Maine made films. Each year they honor one notable actor, actress, or filmmaker with the "Kevin Norwood Bacon Award for Achievement in Cinema", acknowledging the success the recipient has achieved in being so closely connected to Kevin Bacon. One of their films is screened in the KahBang Off Screen Category, "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" which connects the honored back to the man himself.

See also[link]

• List of film festivals
• List of short film festival
• Outdoor cinema

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Turan, Kenneth, Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Made, Los Angeles, University of California Press, 2002, hardback, ISBN 0-520-21867-1.
• Watson, Nigel, "The Sense and Sensationalism of Film Festivals", Talking Pictures website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Film festivals

Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai in Cannes film festival 2012
Born	Aishwarya Rai (1973-11-01) 1 November 1973 (age 38)[1] Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[2]
Other names	Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Occupation	actor, model
Years active	1991–present
Spouse	Abhishek Bachchan (2007–present)
Children	Aaradhya Bachchan
Signature	150px

Aishwarya Rai, known also as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after her marriage^[3] (Tulu pronunciation [əjɕʋərjaː rəj]; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994. Rai has featured in films in various languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali.

Often cited by the media as the "most beautiful woman in the world",^[4][5][6] Rai made her acting debut with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Iruvar (1997), and had her first commercial success in Jeans (1998). She found success in Bollywood with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002) and eventually won two Filmfare Awards in the Best Actress category.

After a series of unsuccessful films during 2003–2005, she appeared in the blockbuster action thriller Dhoom 2 (2006) and subsequently featured in such films as Guru (2007), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and Enthiran (2010). She gained critical acclaim for her performances in offbeat, independent films such as Chokher Bali (2003), Raincoat (2004), and Provoked (2007).^[7][8] Rai has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses of Indian cinema.^[9][10]

Rai's off-screen roles include duties as brand ambassador for various charity organisations and campaigns. She is married to fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan, son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. In 2009 she was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award given by the Government of India.

Early life and background[link]

Rai was born into an ethnic Bunt^[11] family in Mangalore, Karnataka.^[12] Her father, Krishnaraj, was a marine biologist, while her mother, Brindya, is a housewife.^[1] She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy. He co-produced one of her movies, Dil Ka Rishta (2003).^[13]

The family moved to Mumbai, where Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School.^[1] Rai did her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year,^[14] and then joined DG Ruparel College^[15] in Matunga, securing 90 percent in the HSC exams.^[1][16] She trained in classical dance and music for five years during her teens.^[16] Her favourite subject was zoology, so she initially considered a career in medicine.^[16] With plans to become an architect, she enrolled at Raheja College, but later gave up her education to pursue a career in modelling.^[14]

Modelling career[link]

One of her earliest modelling assignment was, when she was in the ninth grade, for Camlin Pencils.^[16] One of her professors at Jai Hind College took pictures of her which were published in a fashion magazine.^[17] In 1991 Rai took part in the Ford Supermodel Contest and also appeared in Vogue Magazine.^[15] She has been on the cover of Vogue three times.^[18]

Rai became popular after appearing in a Pepsi commercial with actor Aamir Khan.^[16] She modelled for Longines watches, Coca-Cola,^[19] Lakmé Cosmetics, Casio pager, Philips, Palmolive,^[17] Lux, and Fuji films.^[20] She continued to model while pursuing her studies in architecture.^[1][17] She was named the official brand ambassador for De Beers diamonds in India.^[20]

In the 1994 Miss India contest, she won second place, behind Sushmita Sen, and was crowned Miss India World.^[21] She went on to win the Miss World^[22] title the same year, where she also won the Miss Photogenic award.^[23] After winning the pageant, she gave up her studies and spent one year reigning as Miss World in London.^[21] Rai continued to pursue a career as a model until she became an actress.^[24]

Acting career[link]

Early work (1997–98)[link]

Rai made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil biopic film Iruvar (1997), where she worked alongside Mohanlal.^[25] The film was a critical success and won many awards, including Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival,^[26] and two National Film Awards.^[26] Rai appeared in dual roles, one of which was a depiction of political leader and former actress J. Jayalalithaa.^[27] Rai made her Bollywood debut in the film in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, opposite Bobby Deol, which released the same year; the film was unsuccessful at the box office.^[28] Her third project, Jeans (1998), a high-budget Tamil film directed by S. Shankar, was a commercial success. The film included the song "Poovukkul", written by Vairamuthu, in which Rai's character is compared to the seven wonders of the world and described as the eighth.^[29][30] The film was India's official entry to the Academy Awards in that year.^[31]

Success (1999–2002)[link]

In 1999 Rai starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan.^[32] The film had Rai playing Nandini, who is forced to marry Devgan despite being in love with another man (Khan). Her husband tries to help her locate her previous love, and his caring attention eventually wins her over. Rai's portrayal won her critical acclaim, with a review on Rediff.com stating, "Aishwarya looks beautiful as usual ... This film will most likely draw her accolades from all over, may be even get her recognised as an actress the way Manisha Koirala did in Khamoshi. In many scenes, there is no trace of makeup and she looks very fresh".^[33] The film was her first box office success in Bollywood, and earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award.^[34]

In the same year she appeared in Subhash Ghai's Taal,^[35] in which she played Mansi, a young village woman who becomes a big pop star after being hurt by her lover, played by Akshay Khanna. The film was an average grosser in India but was a big success outside India, especially in the United States, where it became the first Indian film in the top 20 on Variety's box office list.^[36] Her performance was praised, with a reviewer from Rediff.com writing, "After being praised for her looks and acting talent in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Aishwarya has excelled in Taal. She looks ethereal and unlike the former film, has a very sober and soft role. Though she looks pained and tragic in most of the film, she does a good job of a woman who is very protective of her father and one who doesn't think twice before rejecting a lover who has insulted her father."^[37] She received another Best Actress nomination from the Filmfare Awards for her work in the film.^[38]

In 2000 she appeared in Mansoor Khan's Josh alongside Shahrukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh, in which she plays a Catholic named Shirley who falls in love with the sibling of her brother's enemy.^[39] The film was a commercial success.^[40] Later that year she appeared in Satish Kaushik's Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, opposite Anil Kapoor. It was a moderate success, and her performance earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination.^[41] Later that year she played a supporting role in Aditya Chopra's Mohabbatein, alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. The second-highest grosser of the year, the film was a major commercial success, and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination.^[41][42] Later that year, she starred in the Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain, alongside Mammooty, Ajith Kumar, and Tabu. Rai plays Tabu's younger sibling, a dreamer at heart, whose hopes come crashing down when she discovers she's been cheated by her lover.^[43] Directed by Rajiv Menon, the movie was a successful venture commercially.^[7][44]

In 2002 Rai appeared alongside Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name.^[45] She played the role of Paro (Parvati), the love interest of the protagonist, played by Khan. The film received a special screening at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.^[46] It became the highest-grossing film of the year in India and overseas, earning a revenue of Rs 390 million domestically.^[47][48] Devdas won numerous awards, including 10 Filmfare Awards, and Rai received her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance.^[49]

Professional setback (2003–05)[link]

In 2003 she acted in Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film Chokher Bali, an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name.^[50] She portrays the character of a young woman called Binodini,^[51] who is left on her own when her sickly husband dies soon after they are married.^[52] Rai's performance in the film was well-received by critics, with "Derek Elley" from Variety writing, "Rai dominates the film with her delicately sensual presence and physical grace".^[53] The film was critically acclaimed and did well at the box office,^[54][55] That year she appeared in the Bollywood film Dil Ka Rishta, with Arjun Rampal, and Rohan Sippy's Kuch Na Kaho, alongside Abhishek Bachchan,^[56] neither of which fared well at the box office.^[56][57]

In 2004 she appeared alongside Martin Henderson in Bride and Prejudice, Gurinder Chadha's Bollywood-style English adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She played Lalita Bakshi, the film's version of Austen's character Elizabeth Bennet. Based on 131 reviews, the film has a rating of 64 percent at the review website Rotten Tomatoes.^[58] She played a negative role for the first time in Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee, which also featured Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, and Jayapradha. The film was a box office success.^[59] In the same year she worked with director Rituparno Ghosh for the second time, in Raincoat, where she starred alongside Ajay Devgan. The film was highly acclaimed by critics, with Rai receiving rave reviews for her performance.^[60] The Hindu commented "Raincoat can easily be Aishwarya Rai's best performance, and as Neerja, the former beauty queen appears to have shed her inhibitions about looking unglamorous. What is more, she seems to have made an earnest effort to emote, using less of her body and limbs and more of her face, and eyes in particular".^[61]

In 2005 she appeared in Shabd, a film based on a love triangle, alongside Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan. The film was unsuccessful at the box office; it received average reviews from critics.^[62] Her next release was Paul Mayeda Berges's The Mistress of Spices, based on the novel of the same name by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni,^[63] in which she starred alongside Dylan McDermott.^[64] The film received negative reviews from critics,^[65] and was a commercial failure.^[66] The same year she made a special appearance in a hugely popular seven-minute dance sequence for the song "Kajra Re", with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, in Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli.^[67]

Recent work (2006–present)[link]

In 2006 Rai portrayed the title role in J P Dutta's Umrao Jaan, the story of a courtesan and poetess from 19th-century Lucknow. The movie is the second adaptation of the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada (1905), by Mirza Hadi Ruswa. Rai's work received mixed reviews, and the film was a critical and commercial failure. Critics particularly felt the new version is poor when compared to the acclaimed 1981 version by Muzaffar Ali, which starred Rekha in the title role. BBC critic Poonam Joshi wrote, "While only Aishwarya could emulate the grace and poise of Rekha, she doesn't quite capture the intensity of Umrao's abiding melancholy", commenting that "her incandescent beauty and artistry... does indeed keep the audience watching, though not necessarily emotionally engaged."^[68] Later that year she appeared as a master thief, Sunheri, in the Yash Raj Films production of Dhoom 2, directed by Sanjay Gadhvi. The ensemble cast included Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, and Uday Chopra. The movie was a blockbuster, and became the highest grossing film of the year in India, earning revenues of over Rs 770 million domestically.^[69] A controversy arose regarding a scene containing a kiss between her and Hrithik Roshan.^[70] Rai's performance received mostly negative reviews, with a reviewer on Rediff.com writing, "Ash's character too is all gloss and no depth. You seldom feel any tension in her behaviour and expressions as she accompanies the master thief on potentially dangerous missions. Sunehri enters the film nearly 50 minutes after its opening in a disguise. In no time, she is wearing the flimsiest of clothes. Once she opens her mouth—and she does it two minutes after appearing in the film—she spoils the image. There is no sensuality any more, and half an hour later, one wonders what made the master thief fall for her."^[71] Nonetheless, her performance earned her a sixth nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award.