'Da Vinci Code' dominates buzz at Cannes opening

The annual Cannes Film Festival began Wednesday amid a storm of controversy over its opening night film, The Da Vinci Code.

Protests by Christian groups had been building worldwide for weeks before the film anadaptation of Dan Brown's internationally bestselling book makes its official premiere at the festival in southern France.

Led by the Vatican's call for a boycott of the film, Christians around the world have responded with local protests against the film's premiere in theatres this week.

Some film censorship boards gave The Da Vinci Code an adult rating. Others added disclaimers. Some simply postponed the release until further notice.

Nevertheless, many people say the religious outrage has served only to boost the already unavoidable buzz over the film, which stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou. They investigateclaims of a Christian conspiracy to hide the descendants of Jesus Christ.

Protested by Christians, panned by critics

The initial critical reaction to The Da Vinci Code will perhaps temper some of fervour over the film: many reviewers who got a sneak preview late Tuesday at Cannes panned the project, directed by Ron Howard.

However, they also acknowledged that despite their views, religious buzz and the book's massive audience would guarantee strong numbers at the box office.

The Da Vinci Code is "entertainment, not theological work," Howard said Wednesday, defending his film at a news conference in Cannes.

Hanks added that he felt the movie would not change an individual's religious point of view.

Politics, blockbusters pack Cannes lineup

After The Da Vinci Code's premiere late Wednesday, 11 more days of movies, conferences, parties and photo shoots will unspool at the 59th edition of Cannes.

The festival's program is a mix of:

• Potential blockbusters such as X-Men: The Last Stand andthe animated film Over the Hedge.
• Political films such as Oliver Stone's World Trade Center.
• Social commentaries, including Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation, Nanni Moretti's Berlusconi satire Il Caimano and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.
• And the latest from established directors such as Spain's Pedro Almodovar (Volver),Britain's Ken Loach (The Wind That Shakes the Barley)and Sofia Coppola (Marie Antoinette) from the United States.

Altogether, the festival will screen 55 films, including shorts and feature-length works, from 30 countries. Only 19 films will vie for the prestigious Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize.

Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai is presiding over this year's Cannes jury. Wong, who was the first Chinese filmmaker ever named best director at Cannes (for 1997's Happy Together), is also the first Chinese citizen to head the festival's jury.

Joining him on the nine-member panel are actors Zhang Ziyi, Monica Bellucci, Samuel L. Jackson, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Roth, as well as directors Patrice Leconte, Lucrecia Martel and Elia Suleiman.

Canadian animation pioneer featured

On May 22, the Cannes Classics program will pay tribute to Canada's National Film Board animation pioneer Norman McLaren, whose work has been praised by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Francois Truffaut and George Lucas. McLaren died in 1987.

The NFB has spent the past four years searching for and remastering McLaren's animations for an upcoming DVD boxed set. It has compiled 13 shorts into a 90-minute film to be shown at Cannes.

Also, Cannes organizers will present the second annual Norman McLaren Award to the winner of the Palme d'or for the festival's best short film.

The Cannes Film Festival continues until May 28.