Asia on the road in Cannes film festival

 CANNES, France, May 27 (Xinhua) - For Asian professionals in the film industry, the world-famous Cannes film festival on the French Riviera has always been a hard-fought battle far away from home.

 

Although barely eligible¹ to contend for the festival's coveted² top prizes, Asia never intends any slight, either leaving no stone unturned to grab the red carpet spotlight³ or screaming themselves hoarse⁴ in the film market.

 

The 65th Cannes film festival is set to ring its curtain down on Sunday night after 12 days of glamorous⁵ star-gathering and intensive film-feast, while Asia has tirelessly made their appearance in all sections of the festival, as well as on street posters and magazine covers.

 

A total of three films from Asia have been selected into the competition for the Palme d'Or race along with 19 other films mostly from Hollywood and Europe, in additions to many entries into other secondary sections.

 

To start with, Chinese cinema has been a frequenter at Cannes, in spite of the fact that it has had no films competing for the Palme d'Or over the past three years. This year, the Chinese-language romantic thriller⁶ "Dangerous Liaisons⁷" seems to be well received by critics and press at its Cannes premiere as an official selection of the Directors' Fortnight sidebar to the festival.

 

All seats were taken at the Theatre Croisette where audience gave a huge round of applause at the end, while added screenings were also requested and French local media gave it a generous coverage⁸ the next day.

 

Set in the 1930s Shanghai, it has been the first Chinese film adaptation of the well-known French novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" by Choderlos de Laclos, upon which the 1988 film starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich was also based.

 

Other highlights include Cannes-favored Chinese director Lou Ye's "Mystery" as the opening film of the festival's "Un Certain Regard", or new talent section, and the trailer of Wang Jiawei's "The Grand Master" starring Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi released at the festival's short video about new film surprises.

 

In addition, fantasy blockbuster "Painted Skin II" and action thriller "Switch", both star-studded and high-cost, were the two major Chinese films being marketed at this year's festival, while Chinese actresses continued to stun⁹ worldwide photographers on the red carpet.

 

For South Korean cinema, this year is certainly worth celebrating with two entries in the competition race, namely "In Another Country" starring French actress Isabelle Huppert and "The Taste of Money" by Im Sang-soon, although the latter has been put on critics' list of the worst.

 

Filmmakers and stars from South Korea seemed to be rather shy and inexperienced as most of them kept waving their hands in front of hundreds of cameras from the beginning to the end of the red carpet walk.

 

India also has a high record of four films entering into official sections except for the top prizes, with stylized drama "Miss Lovely" climbing to the front page of several festival publications. The authorities also aim to cast off the stereotyped¹⁰ Bollywood image via specially¹¹ promoting the action film "Gangs of Wasseypur".

 

According to Rudramp Batta, an official in charge of Indian films marketing¹² at Cannes, the film reflects the new dynamics¹³ of Indian cinema that can be both artistic¹⁴ and commercial, and thus a series of screenings, cocktail¹⁵ parties and debates have been held during the festival to attract international buyers.

 

As for Thailand that has little involvement in the festival's official sections, it also made itself a shining star at a grand party with the presence of its princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi, who is also an active actress in recent years.

 

At the eye-catching event hosted by Thai commerce department, an elaborate video was played to hundreds of journalists and potential buyers to introduce the best Thai films and stars in English as well as to recommend the latest film "Together" starring the princess.

 

There is little doubt that Cannes can be enchanted¹⁶ by the eastern flavor, and in the mean time Asian filmmakers and stars consider it as an irresistible¹⁷ glory to simply be part of the festival, as well as a fast track for international fame.

 

The Palme d'Or and other top prizes are to be revealed on Sunday night, and the Cannes trip for Asian cinema has been pleasant in general, with a few attending directors and producers stressing that a prize from the international film festivals is only one of many ways to recognize a good piece of work.

 

As Chinese director Sun Jianjun said, "The top prize for a good movie often comes from the box office and the audience."

1 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

2 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

4 hoarse   

adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的

参考例句：

• He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。
• He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动，嗓子都喊哑了。

5 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

6 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

7 liaisons   

n.联络( liaison的名词复数 )；联络人；（尤指一方或双方已婚的）私通；组织单位间的交流与合作

参考例句：

• She embarked on a series of sexual liaisons with society figures. 她开始接二连三地与社会名流有染。 来自辞典例句
• One of Wentworth's favorite movies is Dangerous Liaisons. went最喜欢的电影之一是《危险关系》。 来自互联网

8 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

9 stun   

vt.打昏，使昏迷，使震惊，使惊叹

参考例句：

• When they told me she had gone missing I was totally stunned.他们告诉我她不见了时，我当时完全惊呆了。
• Sam stood his ground and got a blow that stunned him.萨姆站在原地，被一下打昏了。

10 stereotyped   

adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的

参考例句：

• There is a sameness about all these tales. They're so stereotyped -- all about talented scholars and lovely ladies. 这些书就是一套子，左不过是些才子佳人，最没趣儿。
• He is the stereotyped monster of the horror films and the adventure books, and an obvious (though not perhaps strictly scientific) link with our ancestral past. 它们是恐怖电影和惊险小说中的老一套的怪物，并且与我们的祖先有着明显的（虽然可能没有科学的）联系。

11 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

12 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

13 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

14 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

15 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

16 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

17 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。