Actress Diane Kruger, Jolie, Brad Pitt At Cannes Festival

German actress Diane Kruger, US director Quentin Tarantino, French actress Melanie Laurent, US actress Angelina Jolie, US actor Brad Pitt and US actor Lawrence Bender pose before for the screening of the movie "Inglourious Basterds" in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2009. AFP PHOTO / VALERY HACHE

IFC acquires von Trier's, Loach's Cannes entries

Two past winners of the top Cannes Film Festival prize have picked up a U.S. distributor for their latest movies.

IFC Films says it has acquired North American rights to Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," which features Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg in a domestic tragedy loaded with graphic sex, torture and mutilation.

IFC also said Wednesday it has bought U.S. rights for Ken Loach's "Looking for Eric," a warm comedy about a troubled mailman who sets his life straight again with help from his imaginary friend — former soccer great Eric Cantona.

Both films are competing for the Palme d'Or, the Cannes prize that von Trier won for "Dancer in the Dark" and Loach won for "The Wind That Shakes the Barley." The winner will be announced Sunday.

Stars gather for opening of Cannes Film Festival

The evening gowns glittered, the red carpet was unfurled — and the 3-D glasses were at hand as the 62nd Cannes Film Festival opened Wednesday with the soaring animated adventure "Up."

"Up'"s delighted filmmakers from Pixar Animation joined the crowd of stars and cineastes on the red carpet in this French Riviera resort and said being invited to Cannes was a dream come true.

"We're just a bunch of animation geeks from northern California on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival," said a beaming John Lasseter, Pixar's creative maestro.

Edward Asner, who voices "Up'"s main character, did not come to Cannes. But his counterpart in the French-language version, crooner Charles Aznavour, was there.

Lacking star power from the "Up" voice cast, the biggest name on the red carpet was Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton.

Inside, Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry serenaded the crowd with a version of Aznavour's "She," before Aznavour declared the festival officially open.

Organizers were hoping "Up" would provide a buoyant start before the festival plunges into 12 days of movies that take in passion, murder, Korean vampires and a band of Nazi-hunters led by Brad Pitt.

Members of the jury, led by French actress Isabelle Huppert will be wrangling over which auteurs — from a slate that includes Pedro Almodovar, Ang Lee, Quentin Tarantino and Ken Loach — should receive Cannes' coveted prizes. But on Wednesday, Huppert was in a gentle mood.

"I don't think we are here to judge," she said. "I think we are here to love films — and to see what we love more than others."

Huppert is one of only a handful of women ever to head the jury at the world's most prestigious film festival. She said the numbers didn't bother her: her predecessors — who include Sophia Loren and Liv Ullmann — were "women who count for a lot."

Fellow juror Hanif Kureishi, the British screenwriter of "My Beautiful Laundrette" and "The Mother," was more concerned with another omission.

"I'm not aware we've ever had a black or Asian president of the jury," he said. "It will be interesting to see when that will occur."

Scores of celeb-watchers waited patiently outside Cannes' waterside film complex Wednesday, hoping for a glimpse of the stars — any stars. Few knew who was due to arrive, but most didn't seem to mind.

'Slumdog' grosses ten times production cost; rakes in 800 cr

Economically, Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is going places where few Bollywood-connect movies ever dreamt of going. With an incredible BO retun, the profits are hitting the sky. Having already raked in more than ten times its production cost, the film is a goldmine! It is likely to hit the 170-million-pound mark in world-wide ticket sales, which is nearly 20 times the amount it cost to make, following the Oscar sweep, it has been predicted.

While foreign and subtitled films often struggle to make any inroads in American film market, the critically acclaimed film about an 18-year-old slum boy from rags to riches is expected to break records at the box office after its first nationwide release.

Slumdog opened in the US last November in just ten cinemas, but the Oscar sweep has caught the public's imagination and it will now get full nationwide release in the world's most lucrative film market.

The flick has already grossed over USD 163 million (about Rs 800 crore) – more than ten times the money that went into the making of the film.

Industry experts expect the movie to roar ahead on the box office with as many as eight Academy Awards in its kitty.

Made with a budget of USD 15 million (less than Rs 75 crore) by UK's ‘Film4’ and ‘Celador Films’ with a predominantly Indian cast and crew, the movie's worldwide business has exceeded USD 163 million through yesterday, it was reported on a website.

Among the movies currently running in US cinema halls, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is the fourth biggest grosser.

Best Motion Picture of the year has earned about USD 98 million in the US, while about USD 65 million have come from the other markets, Variety report said, adding that the box office observers believe it heading towards USD 200 million globally.

It is estimated to have done a business of about Rs 30 crore in India. The Delhi government declared tax-free status for the movie.

Freida Pinto in Woody Allen's film

Indian actress Frieda Pinto is going places post her successful debut in multiple Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

The model-turned actress has landed a role in legendary filmmaker Woody Allen's next film. The 24-year-old, who played the role of Latika in Boyle's film was stunned when the film took home eight honours including the Best Picture and Best Director, Best Original Score and Song at the Academy Awards ceremony.

Pinto credits Boyle with helping her to land the role in three-time Oscar winner Allen's film. "Yes, it's up (begins) in July. So thank you, Danny Boyle, for helping me take off," Pinto told US morning news programme Today.

The actress has become the cynosure of US media with fashion bible Vogue naming her one of the best dressed actresses.

Britney's dad testifies for restraining order

Britney Spears' father testified for nearly 90 minutes Monday about why he felt a long-term restraining order should be issued against three people, including the singer's former manager and an ex-boyfriend.

Jamie Spears was the first witness to testify in the restraining order case, and it did little to establish direct contact between Osama "Sam" Lutfi and his daughter since a conservatorship was established a year ago.

Calling Britney'" and repeating an allegation that he ground medication into his daughter's food, Jamie Spears said he thought his daughter's one-time friend and manager was a danger to the family.

But he acknowledged under questioning by Lutfi's lawyer that he was not aware of any conversations between his daughter and Lutfi. And the only evidence of communication between the two was a recent call Britney Spears made to Lutfi.

Lutfi's attorney, Bryan Freedman, said the hearing "couldn't have gone any better."

He said Jamie Spears' testimony did not demonstrate why a restraining order is necessary.

Jamie Spears said he did not know if the pair talked then or since. He said Lutfi had called Spears on other phones and tried to relay a "Merry Christmas" message through the singer's hairdresser and get her to call him.

He said the call from his daughter to Lutfi was found on a prepaid cell phone that his security detail confiscated from the singer last month. The phone listed the phone numbers of Adnan Ghalib, a paparazzo who once dated the singer, and Lutfi.

Jamie Spears testified his daughter told him the phone was given to her at a hotel by someone who said it was from Lutfi and Ghalib. The singer has a cell phone, but her father said he controls her access to it.

Ghalib did not appear during Monday's hearing and was not represented by a lawyer. Jamie Spears repeatedly referred to him as "Adan" during his testimony.

Obama keen to see Slumdog Millionaire

US President, Barack Obama, wants to watch Slumdog Millionaire, the White House has said.

Slumdog Millionaire, the exhilarating rags-to-riches fairy tale set in Mumbai, swept the Oscars with eight awards including the best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay; with A R Rahman becoming the only Indian to bag two Oscars for the best score and original song.

"I don't know if he has seen Slumdog Millionaire. I know he wants to," White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, told reporters during the course of his daily press briefing.

Gibbs said Obama has watched several movies recently. "I think that a lot of the movies that he has seen recently are movies that might also entertain a seven-and-a-10-year-old girl. Not sure that Slumdog Millionaire would be on that list," Gibbs said.