The China Mail - Cannes film festival: highlights from week 1

AFP looks at some of the topics, films, and fashion moments that have made a splash during week one.

The festival wraps up on May 24, when the winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or for best film will be announced.

- Red carpet dress code -

Hollywood star Halle Berry was the most high-profile victim of the festival's dress code, which bans extravagantly large dresses and "total nudity" on the red carpet.

The "Monster's Ball" star, who is on the jury this year, was forced into a last-minute wardrobe change on opening night after she judged her dress by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta to be too long.

Others appeared to flout the rules, including German model Heidi Klum, who turned up in a frilly pink evening gown with a train that was at least three metres (10 feet) long.

- New #MeToo rules -

After years of scandals in the film industry and pressure to take a stand, the festival announced it had barred an actor in a prominent French film from the red carpet because of rape allegations.

Theo Navarro-Mussy, who plays a police officer in a supporting role in the film "Dossier 137", became the first person affected by the new policy.

He denies the allegations and an initial police investigation was closed last month without charges.

- Cruise show -

Tom Cruise swept into Cannes on a steamroller of hype around "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" which premiered to mixed reviews on Wednesday.

Director Christopher McQuarrie revealed that Cruise -- who does his own stunts -- took his risk-taking a little far during a shoot in South Africa and could have died.

Cruise pushed himself to the point of exhaustion after climbing out on the wing of a stunt biplane that he was piloting alone.

"He was laying on the wing of the plane. His arms were hanging over the front of the wing. We could not tell if he was conscious or not," said the US filmmaker

- Early favourites -

A total of 22 films are up for the Palme d'Or, with early favourites being German-language drama "The Sound of Falling" about inter-generational trauma, and experimental rave road-trip thriller "Sirat".

According to an analysis of critics' scores by film magazine Screen, the frontrunner is a contemplative drama about justice and cruelty in the Soviet Union called "Two Prosecutors" by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa.

"Russian society today is different from Soviet society in the 20th century but the essence is the same," the 60-year-old director told AFP.

- Actors-turned-directors -

This year's festival features a trio of highly anticipated directorial debuts from actors.

Harris Dickinson, the 28-year-old "Babygirl" actor, drew praise for his first film "Urchin", while "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart, 35, demonstrated her talent behind the camera in "The Chronology of Water".

"Be gentle with me... It's my first film so if you don’t like it, break it to me nicely," Dickinson said about "Urchin", which tells the story of a homeless man in London.

American A-lister Scarlett Johansson is set to unveil her debut film "Eleanor the Great" to audiences on Monday.

- Gaza war -

The war in Gaza has been a constant topic of conversation after nearly 400 top film figures signed an open letter on the eve of festival condemning Israel for committing "genocide" in Gaza and the film industry for its "passivity".

The head of the Cannes jury Juliette Binoche added her signature this week to that of at least four Palme d'Or-winning directors in Cannes as well as actors Ralph Fiennes and Richard Gere.

A wrenching documentary about Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, killed in an Israeli air strike on her home in Gaza, left its audience in stunned silence when it premiered on Thursday and its director Sepideh Farsi in tears.

- Bob's moment -

Robert De Niro was visibly emotional on the opening night when his friend and frequent co-star Leonardo DiCaprio handed him a life-time achievement award.

He then composed himself to tear strips off his old enemy, Donald Trump, who he called "America's philistine president".

- Trump era -

Trump has been one of the main talking points in Cannes after announcing on May 5 that he wanted 100-percent tariffs on movies "produced in foreign lands".

Actors, directors and producers have lined up to denounce the idea as bad and self-defeating.

Others have joined De Niro's calls to resist Trump, including Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal who called on Hollywood to "fuck the people that try to make you scared -- and fight back".

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