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Source: News - Age no boundary for UK laws

New age discrimination laws will come into force in October, leaving many working practices past their sell-by date.

Firms will no longer be able to advertise for “young”, “dynamic” or even “mature” candidates for fear of falling foul of the regulations.

Employers will also have to watch the language in the workplace - no referring to old-timers - as well as keeping a check on how they award pensions and perks. Also, they will no longer be able to force workers to retire at 65.

“I don’t think the magnitude of the change will be understood for a good few months or years,” says Michael Farrier of employment lawyers Boyes Turner.

With such a seismic shift on the horizon, a big question mark is hanging over UK companies and how ready they are for the change?

Some companies are not burying their heads in the sand, and courses, events and seminars on how to deal with ageism are becoming big business.

Lessons to learn

Boyes Turner, along with recruitment specialists FSS and Crone Corkill, has been providing a number of away-days for firms hoping to bone up on the changes.

The changes will affect young and old workers alike

At a mock tribunal in London’s financial district, human resources personnel and other workers get to witness an ageism claim alongside other discrimination allegations.

During a break in the “case”, the visitors discuss what the changes could mean for their working practices.

“Even just calling someone oldie in a birthday card could be enough to bring a claim,” says one.

Another observer has been on a round of seminars and discussions, and explains she’s been briefed not just to concentrate on older workers.

“At a recent course one speaker warned that the changing demographics in society mean more young people could take action - they’re seen as the ‘Me Me Me Generation’ and so just want to grab what they can,” she says.

All change

Even though this type of event is seen as helpful in getting staff ready for the new laws, employment experts believe employers could be in for a shock.

They point to research carried out before the last big legal changes in the workplace - sex and race discrimination laws which came in to force in the mid-1970s.

Age to a lot of people would not feel as taboo as sexism or racism Paul Marsh, FSS and Crone Corkill

Before those rules were brought in, most firms believed they would make little difference - but many high-profile and high-stakes cases have since been brought before tribunals.

One study by legal firm Simons & Simons showed 93% of companies believe that new regulations will have little effect, even though age is consistently shown to be a factor in company employment decisions.

Another survey by Legal Week Benchmarker, carried out in July last year, found that 75% of corporate lawyers questioned had not reviewed their firm’s employment policy.

Big issues

Experts believe companies could be “underestimating” the changes they face.

“There’s increasing awareness of ageism as a bad thing, the laws put a stake in the ground and say its as bad as racism or sexism,” Sam Mercer, director of the Employers’ Forum on Age (EFA) says.

A number of employers have been contacting the EFA about the changes - raising “about six issues a day”, Ms Mercer says.

Among the most common concerns raised is compliance, or how companies can stick to the rules.

“Big or small, companies still need to decide age and recruitment policies, graduate training schemes and policies on long-term benefits,” Ms Mercer says.

But policies and practices aren’t the only issues that need checking, says Paul Marsh head of HR and recruitment at FSS and Crone Corkill.

“We need to break down prejudices and change mindsets, as age to a lot of people would not feel as taboo as sexism or racism,” he says

As a result, companies will have to look at the culture of their workplace - for example in the IT world staffing tends to be more youth oriented.

Firms will have to check whether their adverts and policies are promoting inherent age discrimination and ways to rebalance the situation so they are not at odds with the law.

Best candidate

But Mr Marsh does not believe the new laws will trigger an upsurge in age-positive employment.

“Companies still need to take the best person for the job,” he explains. “But we would actively try to widen the pool of recruits.

“It could be, say, how you attract over 50s - for example, where you advertise. If your ads are web-based that lessens the pool as younger people are more likely to use them,” he adds.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about the changes Michael Farrier, Boyes Turner

Some commentators predict the changes could in fact lead to fewer people working past the age of 65 as firms enforce a “blanket ban” on older workers to prevent claims in the future.

Anecdotal evidence from Age Concern suggests that companies are currently clearing out older workers as a pre-emptive measure to avoid such cases

Uncertainty

After October, workers will be able to work past the age of 65 if granted leave to do so by their employer. Should they be refused then it must be for “objectively justified” reasons.

Unfortunately, it seems that these reasons are less than clear.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty about the changes - usually it’s black and white - for example when sexual orientation came in you could understand precisely what was expected,” says Mr Farrier.

Firms will have to mind their language in job ads

“Each case will be treated on its merits, if a worker is kept on at 65 then that requires you to have valid evidence for why that didn’t go on at 68 and what’s changed.”

Looking ahead the experts believe there will be more cases claiming age discrimination, but it will take the first awards against companies to give any guidance as to how the changes will take effect.

The experience of companies in the US may give some hints as to how the future will develop as anti-ageism legislation has been in force there since 1967.

Between 1992 and 2002 17,000 age-related discrimination cases were launched and 10,000 of those were successful in getting compensation.

However, most cases were on a class-action basis and dealt with redundancies and job cuts.

Closer to home, the Republic of Ireland brought in the new legislation two years ago and by July last year ageism accounted for 19% of discrimination cases

So even while no-one is sure exactly how the changes will manifest themselves, it seems certain that the effects will start to be seen pretty quickly and companies would be well advised to prepare themselves as soon as possible.

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Northern Ireland’s physical infrastructure is rapidly falling farther and farther behind UK standards - which are themselves below international standards, an expert in civil engineering has warned.

The province has been given a ‘D’ grade in a recent survey by the Institution of Civil Engineers, with its waste management systems being highlighted as the weakest link.

Alan Strong, a senior lecturer in the University of Ulster’s faculty of engineering, warned that the poor quality of its infrastructure would hit the country’s chances of attracting inward investment.

“Northern Ireland is struggling because of poor funding, and a lack of skills,” he said.

“There are major quality of life issues emerging that will affect the everyday life of everyone in Northern Ireland.

“Road congestion, environmental pollution, road safety and constraints on commerce are just some of them. We are already losing business investment to regions with superior infrastructures.

Given that we are situated on the periphery of Europe, a modern, efficient transport system is fundamental to that business success Tony Doran Construction Industry Employers’ Federation

“Failure to invest now in infrastructure will have major knock-on effects, especially in terms of jobs in our construction sector.”

The warning came as the University of Ulster launched a new MSc programme in Infrastructure Engineering, based at the Jordanstown campus, which is aimed at overcoming the skills shortage in Northern Ireland.

“We will be training the professionals who will be responsible for overcoming our infrastructure deficit,” said Mr Strong.

Support for the initiative has been received from Tony Doran, director of the Construction Industry Employers’ Federation, and Freddie Patterson, director of Lagan Holdings.

“Given that we are situated on the periphery of Europe, a modern, efficient transport system is fundamental to that business success,” said Mr Doran.

“Sustainable businesses are built on investment in up-to-date water and waste infrastructure - for which we need the highest level of management and engineering skills.”

Mr Patterson added: “With little or no major improvements being undertaken to the main arterial routes, business has had to bear the brunt of increased costs due to operational inefficiencies which cannot be passed on to the customer.

“The significant improvements which have been made in the Republic of Ireland have only exacerbated the problems faced here in the north, and it is vital that a concentrated effort be made to improve the current situation before irreparable damage is done to the local economy.”

Source: News - Warning over ‘poor’ infrastructure
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Original article News - Who needs Democracy?
President Bush warned that Britain and America have been “willing to tolerate oppression for the sake of stability.” They won’t necessarily do any longer, he said.

But nowhere has the blind eye been more closed than in the case of China. Since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 China has experienced rip-roaring capitalism combined with the harsh suppression of dissent.

Under the new leadership of Hu Jintao it’s supposed to be changing. But how fast? In the third of our special reports from China, Paul Mason found out.

PAUL MASON:
If you’re looking for democracy
in China, this is as close as
you’ll get. There’s a local
election coming in Beijing and
this is part of the official
propaganda and motivation phase.
The leaflets aimed at migrant
workers, and list their rights to
vote, to stand to scrutinise the
count. The one right they don’t
have is to vote for anybody but
the ruling Communist Party. The
party knows it’s more popular now
with the middle class than the
ordinary people here, hence the
song and dance. In a repressive
society pressure for change finds
curious outlets. The modern art
scene in Beijing is as radical as
in London, only here instead of
sheep pickled in formaldehyde you
get Maoism steeped in irony.
Denied political reform, China’s
young people have decided to have
a revolution in their heads. We
found one man whose art consists
of dabbing spots of his own blood
onto pages of the Chinese
constitution.

WANG CHU YU:
(Performance artist, in
translation)
In China we have a constitution,
but the government has done a lot
of things that are against the
constitution, like the Cultural
Revolution and like June 4th
1989, and other things. As an
artist, I have the responsibility
to express my attitudes and to
point out unconstitutional
behaviour. What I did in my
performance today was to ask
everybody to read out
bloodstained pages of the
constitution because every time
the government breaks it, it ends
up with lots of people dead, a
blood sacrifice. This is really
horrible and that’s what I want
to express.

MASON:
Piao Guang Xie uses a more
conventional medium. His
generation lived through the June
the 4th massacre in Tiananmen
Square. Now he lives in a rural
commune with 300 other artists,
subject to the frequent attention
from the police. He speaks
guardedly about politics on
camera.

PIAO GUANG XIE:
(Artist, in translation)
This is a picture of myself. I
was born in 1970. I want to
reflect our generation’s
hesitancy and confusion. Things
are different now. We don’t know
where to go and often feel lost,
hurt and confused. This is how I
feel about our life now.

MASON:
On canvas the message is clear.
Pink is the colour of surface
prosperity, the wading lotus the
symbol of desolation, into which
he himself sinks in an endless
series of self portraits, again
bleeding. The Tiananmen Square
massacre still haunts China. In
1989 Deng Xiaoping’s troops
crushed the student-led democracy
movement. Thousands were killed,
and the more liberal wing of the
party leadership was purged.
Tiananmen Square today is still
tightly policed. China may be
economically liberal, but the
state doesn’t tolerate dissent.
There are sporadic protests here
over layoffs and religious
freedom, but they don’t last
long. China’s constitution
guarantees lots of rights in
theory, but in practice there is
no democracy. Behind the facade,
according to Amnesty
International, hundreds of
thousands of people are
arbitrarily detained. Torture is
widespread and systemic and
freedom of expression curtailed.
The last generation of Chinese
leaders, whose troops opened fire
here in 1989, went on to build a
kind of capitalism that has
stunned and puzzled the world.
The effects of economic growth
are obvious everywhere, and even
for the poorest living standards
are rising, but it’s a capitalism
without democracy. No one wants
it here is the official line and
that’s been accepted by many in
the West. But now there is a push
for democracy, not just from
below but from above. Because
China’s new generation of leaders
has begun to accept that without
transparency, accountability and
the rule of law China can’t
become a 21st century economic
superpower. Shenzhen has been
chosen to lead the way. The city
was built from scratch in just 20
years and pioneered China’s
market reforms. Now Shenzhen is
supposed to be in the midst of a
democratic experiment. These are
the men who rule Shenzhen.
They’re lined up to promote a
product launch for a local
private drug company. The panel
includes the city’s health
service chief. When people worry
about the party being enmeshed in
the economy this is what they
mean. Local politicians are very
powerful. There are no checks and
balances between them, civil
servants and law enforcement
bodies. In future there will be.
But it’s very early days. The
reforms were supposed to start
last spring but they’re still
awaiting orders. Are you able to
tell us anything about the
administrative reforms that
Shenzhen is planning?

LIU YINGLI:
(Vice Mayor, Shenzhen Government)
I think this is controlled by
central government. So if central
government tells me, I tell you,
OK?

MASON:
The experiment has been hailed in
the Western press, but at a
Shenzhen think tank, seen as
close to the national leadership,
they’re keen to dampen
expectations.

PROFESSOR LIU LUOLI:
(China Development Institute, in
translation)
The separation of powers in
government is planned, but the
Western media propaganda makes it
sound like a pilot of democracy.
That’s not true, it’s a
misunderstanding, it’s an
administrative reform, separating
decision making, executive and
supervision within the local
administration. The Western media
has totally misunderstood what
we’re trying to do. It is only
administrative reform.

MASON:
In the West the ultimate form of
supervision is by the people in
the form of elections. Can he see
that happening in China?

PROFESSOR LUOLI:
I think the whole process will
take a long time because it needs
a lot of preparation. In general
the cultural and educational
level of ordinary people is still
below average. Many people still
don’t understand the need for,
and the meaning of, an election.
If people can’t understand the
rules there is no point. This is
one thing we have to work on and
it will be a long process.

MASON:
Part of the process is opening up
the media. Last October the
government ordered journalists to
become more critical and to get
closer to the masses. At this
regional TV station they’ve been
happy to obey.

SHENG NING:
(Chief Producer, Tianjin TV, in
translation)
In recent years the content of TV
has changed a lot. Because of the
economic reform and opening up
people’s minds are changing too.
Now we can see a lot of
programmes we weren’t allowed to
see before, critical news,
documentaries about sensitive
social issues. The audience can
now watch programmes they
actually want to see and they
want the media to be a watchdog,
to change the bad side of
society.

MASON:
The Chinese journalists we met
were all aware that the BBC ran a
story that could have brought
down Tony Blair, but could this
station ever run a story that
would bring down Hu Jintao?

NING:
Every country has its own
political system, cultural
background. We’re all different.
A lot of things being done in
Western media can’t be done in
China. We can’t copy it, we have
to adjust it according to our
situation. Whether we’ll become
like a Western country, or the
same as the Western media, that’s
very difficult to predict.

MASON:
What happens next in China
depends on the Communist Party
itself. At the Beijing Party
School they train the men and
women who will run China in the
mid century. Once Marxism
dominated the curriculum, but now
it shares pride of place with
American management theory. And
sometimes you get a mixture of
both. This visiting American
lecturer seems more left wing
than most. He’s talking about how
globalisation destroys the jobs
of American workers and creates
jobs in China, with an added
advantage you won’t hear about in
a US business school.

UNNAMED AMERICAN LECTURER:
When that idea sinks deeply
enough into their consciousness,
they’re going to begin to doubt
the desirability of capitalism.
And then Marx’s prediction that
he made in 1848 that the
globalisation of capitalism will
give rise to a militant
international working class will
come true.

MASON:
Liu Yang, who runs the school, is
frank about the shortcomings of
China’s own political system.

PROFESSOR LIU YANG:
(Beijing Party School, in
translation)
In China we have moved from a
planned economy to a market
economy and the government has to
behave the same way. It should be
clean, effective, democratic and
based on the rule of law, just
like in the West. Traditionally
China’s government has had
weaknesses in the area of
democracy and the rule of law,
and that’s held back China’s
development. We’re still only at
a medium stage of
industrialisation. Backward
attitudes from rural society
still influence the way
government behaves.

MASON:
While the cadres practice Qi Gong
in the School garden, the party’s
energies are focused on getting
rid of its own bad karma, with a
crackdown on corrupt officials
and a re-education campaign. But
would they ever consider another
solution:
a multi-party system?

PROFESSOR YANG:
We all want to push forward to
democracy. But to realise
democracy is a practical
procedure. You have to balance
the advantages and disadvantages
and you can’t ignore reality.
Otherwise there are reforms that
could destroy stability and the
result would ruin our economic
development.

MASON:
But what about China’s Western-
facing elite, like the students
here at Tsinghua University. 70%
of these high fliers will go to
well paid business jobs in the
West, and in 1989 this was a
hotbed of unrest. So what do they
think now?

RUBY LIU:
(Student, Tsinghua University)
It’s a political problem, not an
economic problem. In my opinion I
don’t care about the system, the
society system, my concern is
that if the country’s really
growing better, yeah? I don’t
care about the system.

CHARLIE QUE:
(Student, Tsinghua University)
Everything should be under
control. We should be making
progress step by step, because
such a great country as China,
stability is very important for
it. If one day China is out of
control I think its very terrible
news for everyone in the world.

FRANK YANG:
(Student, Tsinghua University)
For a long time we have only one
government, one government, it’s
hard for us to accept the fact
that we have two parties, that is
two governments. It’s hard to
accept.

MASON:
It’s not as if you haven’t got
political debate within the CCP,
so shouldn’t it be more obvious
to people what the debates are?

YANG:
No.

MASON:
Why doesn’t it matter?

YANG:
Chinese people only care that we
have the government, the
government is stable.

ASHLEY PENG:
(Student, Tsinghua University)
I don’t think there is any
possibilities for anyone who
wants to start another party and
to lead the country. I think,
yes, this happened a lot in the
history, but maybe not now. So I
think the only way for the
situation to change is coming
from the CCP itself.

MASON:
The theory in the West is that
capitalism brings democracy. The
workings of the market demand
some form of the political system
we take for granted. The public
consensus in China disagrees with
that for now, but there are big
choices ahead. All over the
world, experts and politicians
are talking about where China
should go next, with its economy,
political system, and its place
in the world. The one group
excluded from this discussion is
the Chinese people. All the
reforms proposed to date have
been designed as alternatives to
direct democracy. How badly they
want it, and how they get it, are
questions that will shape not
only their century but our own.

This transcript was produced from the teletext subtitles that are generated live for Newsnight. It has been checked against the programme as broadcast, however Newsnight can accept no responsibility for any factual inaccuracies. We will be happy to correct serious errors.

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Foreign investors may be allowed to bid for the key oil producing subsidiary of embattled Russian oil firm Yukos.

Moscow authorities are forcing the sale of Yuganskneftegas, which accounts for 60% of the firm’s oil output, to help settle Yukos’ $8bn unpaid tax bill.

Analysts have questioned whether any overseas bids would be forthcoming, despite an official saying they would be welcomed.

Russian energy firms Gazprom and Surgut are tipped as the most likely buyers.

Both are said to be close to the Kremlin; Gazprom is 38% state-owned, and the Kremlin will own a majority shareholding if a merger with oil firm Rosneft goes through.

Legal minefield

Analysts said foreign companies were unlikely to bid for Yuganskneftegas because of Yukos’s ongoing legal battles with the Kremlin.

I would be very surprised if a foreign company wanted it; the shares are radioactive Oil and gas analyst Matthew Thomas

This could see Yukos shareholders going to the courts to challenge the legality of any sale, they said.

“I would be very surprised if a foreign company wanted it,” said Matthew Thomas, an oil and gas analyst at Alfa Bank in London.

“The shares [in Yuganskneftegas] are radioactive.”

According to media speculation, the date for the sale of 77% has been set for 22 November.

Political matter?

Investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DKW) has valued the Yuganskneftegas business at between $14.7bn and $17.3bn, but other media reports suggest Russian authorities may give it away for a bargain $4bn.

Analysts have long speculated that politics is the main reason behind Russian authorities targeting Yukos, first for unpaid taxes, and now to sell off the main part of the business.

They say that Yukos is being punished because of the political ambitions of the company’s former boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Mr Khodorkovsky, who had supported liberal opposition groups, has been in prison since October last year on fraud and tax evasion charges.

Yukos, which currently produces 20% of Russia’s oil output and accounts for 2% of global production, has seen its share price fall by two-thirds since April, amid the growing uncertainty about its future.

Source: News - Russia invites foreign Yukos bids
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A piece of Cumbria’s industrial heritage has opened to the public for the first time.

The former Force Crag lead mine on the outskirts of Braithwaite near Keswick, closed in 1991 after 500 years.

But the site has reopened after the National Trust spent 50,000 on making it safe for guided tours.

The site, which boasts a spectacular location at the head of the Coledale Valley, has also been declared an ancient monument by English Heritage.

A spokesperson for the National Trust said: “Force Crag was the last working metal mine in the Lake District.

“The mine buildings have been reopened to the public, but are restricted to guided tours only. ”

Water wheels

The site was mined for lead from 1839 until 1865, and for zinc and barytes from 1867, with varying success by a string of different companies.

A spokesman for English Heritage added: “The surviving crushing mill, built in 1908-9 and redesigned in 1939-40, was evidently remodelled frequently, and careful study of the building has improved the understanding of how it evolved.

“Early photographs show the building soon after it was built and other documentary sources shed further light on how the ore was processed at various dates.”

“The sites of two 19th-century mills have been identified, as well as evidence of water wheels, washing areas and settling tanks.

“Water was the primary source of power until the middle of the 20th century, so numerous cisterns, dams and artificial water channels called leats, were built.”

Former miners were asked for advice about the tours.

Original article ‘News - New era for Lakes’ last lead mine‘
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The trial of a man accused of the murders of 29 people in the Omagh bombing has been adjourned.

The Omagh car bombing on 15 August 1998 was the worst single terrorist atrocity in Northern Ireland. A woman pregnant with twins was among those killed.

Sean Gerard Hoey, 37, an electrician of Molly Road, Jonesborough, Armagh, has denied all 58 charges against him.

The case was stopped after a defence lawyer said he was unwell. No date has been set for the trial to continue.

Senior defence counsel Orlando Pownall QC told trial judge Mr Justice Weir: “I am unwell and appear before you against medical advice.”

He had sought an adjournment until 18 September but the judge said he did not feel it would be appropriate to do so.

Agreeing to delay the trial, Mr Justice Weir said it was “a most unfortunate turn of events,” at which he was “disappointed” at not being kept informed, except informally, of the situation.

He said that if it became clear Mr Pownall would not be well enough to continue in the case and if new senior counsel had to be instructed, the court should be kept informed.

Families

Mr Pownall added that there could be up to 500 witnesses called in the case, but that many of them could be agreed without them being called to the witness box.

Families and friends of some of the victims, who had travelled from Omagh by bus for the first day of the case, said they were disappointed the trial had not gone ahead as planned.

Mr Hoey faces 58 charges including five other bombings, four bomb conspiracies, and six murder conspiracies.

The case before Mr Justice Weir in Belfast is expected to be one of the last major non-jury trials in Northern Ireland. It is expected to last for about 14 weeks.

Victims’ families have requested the provision of a videolink system in Omagh during the court proceedings.

The Court Service said the judge had asked the court administration to look into what facilities might be provided.

“It was accepted that these could not be put in place by Wednesday,” it said in a statement.

“Options are currently being investigated by Northern Ireland Court Service officials.”

The accused has been in custody for about three years.

He is the only person to be charged with murder in connection with the bombing.

Read source on News - Omagh bombing trial is adjourned
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Read source of it on the News - Monday 5th March in bits page
Click below to watch the Working Lunch bits you want.

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Having said that… Asian films continue to be a powerful force in world cinema. There may be no Asian films in the main competition but in virtually every other corner of the festival, Asian cinema is strongly represented.

The real and continuing absence from a competition perspective is Indian cinema.

Still considered by some to be at the pulp end of the market, Bollywood and Indian cinema in general is still looking for a flag bearer - a figure like Wong Kar Wai perhaps, the celebrated Chinese director of 2046 and this year’s jury president.

Those desperate for tickets are in great number this afternoon. Almost all of them are desperate for tickets to see Babel. Perhaps the buzz is beginning to spread…

Attention is now turning to Sofia Coppola’s Marie-Antoinette, which gets its first ever press screening on Wednesday morning.

The project has been kept under wraps - there was even a rumour that the film was going to be pulled at the last minute because it was not ready - and director and star Kirsten Dunst are said to be doing no press other than the official press conference.

We’ve all heard that before. There isn’t a journalist at Cannes who hasn’t been told by a PR that one star, director or other is doing no one-to-one interviews.

But the following day, open any newspaper, magazine or website and you will see an interview with that supposedly inaccessible star.

Half of the competition films have now been screened - an important psychological point for the critics and journalists who are in Cannes for the duration.

Almost a week into the festival and some here are beginning to visibly sag.

As I look around the wi-fi press room, I can see a couple of journalists asleep and the room is emptier than it has been since I arrived at the festival.

I am not sure if there is any truth in this but I wonder if films shown in the second half of the week do as well in competition and in the marketplace as those shown early on.

I apologise to BBC News website reader Pedro, in Paris, who feels I am concentrating on American and English films.

I have done a feature on the excellent Babel - which is in four different languages - and did a news piece on the equally good Il Caimano.

It is a juggling act and sometimes you drop a ball or two.

Till Kadritzke asks if anyone at all liked Southland Tales. I am afraid to say it has been universally criticised here in Cannes. I know Donnie Darko took a while before it exploded as a cult hit but trust me when I say Southland Tales is a mess.

One journalist here said part of the problem with Cannes is that many films are rushed in post-production and editing in order to have a finished print in time for the festival.

I know Andrea Arnold had been working to the bone to finish and said she had some sound work still to do on Red Road.

But if Southland Tales is to be rescued, it will take a very skilful editor indeed.

My advice would be to cut The Rock and Sarah Michelle Gellar from the film.
Given how nonsensical the entire plot is, removing two major characters will have little effect.

To Christopher Tennis, who enquired after Shortbus, I am afraid the news is not good - journalists I have spoken to said the movie is a real disappointment.

It is extremely sexually graphic and many I spoke with said it was a simple turn-off.

Richard Morrell suggests I find out more on Clerks 2, by Kevin Smith. I am a big fan of Smith’s original indie hit and have never felt he has really developed as much as he might as a director so I will see what I can find out.

And finally to Simon Kingsley in Berlin - some of us are not here in Cannes to get autographs. It galls me that at the end of every press conference so-called journalists rush to the front to get the signatures of stars.

Here endeth the lesson.

Babel has just astonished the privileged journalists watching the first screening in Cannes.

Tumultuous applause at the end for an astonishingly powerful film.

Set across Mexico, Los Angeles, Morocco and Tokyo in four different languages it is one of the best films I have seen in a long time.

The only thing to take the sheen off the experience was a technical problem two-thirds through the film when an incorrect reel was shown and parts of the film started to repeat.

After a short delay it restarted but some of the momentum was lost.

The press conference starts shortly and there is bound to a great reception.

I am inside the Grand Theatre Lumiere, in my favourite seat - the last seat on the right in the back row of the centre block.

I can make a swift exit if the film is too bad to bear. Fortunately I’ve not been compelled to do so yet. I was tempted during Southland Tales but felt I should struggle on to the end.

From my spot I can also get a good view of whether other journalists succumb to the temptation.

Outside the cinema cineastes without accreditation ask politely for spare tickets - it is like touting in reverse.

This morning’s film is Babel by Alejandro Gonzelez Innaritu, who made the celebrated 21 Grams.

His new film draws on international talent such as Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Benal.

A Chilean journalist remarked to me that it was a pity that Latin American directors such as Innaritu, Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo Del Toro inevitably were drawn away to other countries once they had tasted success.

“Latin America needs Latin American directors,” he said.

Many thanks for all your comments - at the bottom of the page - and especially the recommendations of movies to go and see.

Fitting in screenings between all the press conferences and interviews is difficult, which is why I’ve been to see just the films in the main competition, and the Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth.

Six films in six days is pretty good, I think.

I’m sorry if Jette Goldie from Edinburgh thinks I am not enjoying myself - I most certainly am. I love film but have a pretty low tolerance for dross. I’ll watch dross but expect me to complain afterwards.

And while I am enjoying the Cannes experience can I assure Dr S Banerji of Mumbai I am not “goofing off”.

He tells me that the Indian media are reporting that Aishwarya Rai is stealing the show. Of course, I am sure that the Indian media is being totally objective in their opinions of which particular stars are the centre of attention…

But with two gala screenings each day it is virtually impossible to say any one star is the talk of the festival.

From my perspective Pedro Almodovar and Nanni Moretti’s films are the talk of the critics, RichArd Kelly’s movie is the flop of the festival and the cast of X-Men III prompted the biggest feeding frenzy.

But that’s one person’s perspective out of the 4,000 journalists here.

Please keep sending your comments - good and bad.

Cannes is in a constant state of frenzy during the 11 days of the festival but only one film so far has had everyone foaming at the mouth with hysteria - X-Men III, The Last Stand.

X-Men star Hugh Jackman (2nd from right) braves the media

With the likes of Halle Berry, Famke Janssen and Rebecca Romijn in town this was the honeytrap from heaven for the paparazzi. The press conference was standing room only, the photocall was like the Paris riots of 1968 and the numbers of so-called journalists who rushed to get autographs was at an obscene high.

Not that anyone has seen the film itself. No journalist I spoke to would actually admit they attended the afternoon screening, and of course the film is appearing out of competition. So why is it here?

It gives Cannes a huge boost of publicity halfway through the festival when everyone’s energy levels begin to dip, and the stars will be plastered across most of the world’s papers on Tuesday morning.

This third film in the series is widely perceived to be the last - the title is a clue - so everyone involved in the movie is wringing out as much from the project as they can.

Nanni Moretti’s humorous and pointed film about the state of social and political life in Italy has become an instant front-runner for the Palme d’Or.

Critical reaction was very positive as the press left the screening and Moretti now appears to be head-to-head with Pedro Almodovar, for Volver.

Of course it is all too early to accurately predict a winner and the make-up of this year’s jury - with Helena Bonham Carter admitting she does not even watch much film and the jury president promising to be “angels not monkeys” - could mean a surprise winner.

Don’t expect a British winner, however. Few think The Wind That Shakes The Barley or Red Road will win the main prize.

Raoul is back.

At the start of most screenings I have attended at Cannes this year, cries of “Raoul” ring out as the lights begin to dim. Perplexed by this, I asked some Cannes veterans about the significance.

One told me it referred to a screening of a film by director Raoul Ruiz at Cannes many years ago and that an audience member had called out the director’s name as a sort of prayer for the film to be good.

Typically one or two people shout out “Raoul” before the big screenings. Apparently the trend died off for a few years but returned last year.

I’m pleased to report that Raoul is alive and well at Cannes 2006.

I’m interviewing the UK Culture Secretary on the beach later on Monday. She visits each year and typically has to bat questions on why there are no British films in competition and why so many high-profile movies are shifting production abroad.

But with two films up for this year’s Palme d’Or and reports that the film version of His Dark Materials is to be shot in Shepperton, Tessa Jowell may just have a smile on her face.

We will see.

Sarah Michelle Gellar fielded press questions in good spirits

Twenty minutes of Oliver Stone’s unfinished film World Trade Center is being screened at Cannes on Sunday.

I rang the film’s PR firm DDA to find out if I could get into a sneak screening.

Sadly, the PR person I spoke to did not know when it was showing or where she but did know that BBC News was not invited.

When I pressed her for more information, she said she knew it was at the Palais but as she had never been to the Palais she did not know on which screen it was being shown.

I know the PR people have it tough at Cannes, locked in their hotel suites fielding calls from strident reporters, but never having been to the Palais is a bit poor.

Cannes is a city in love with cinema.

You can see it the queues to see new movies. You can see it in the animated discussions after each and every screening.

And you can sense in the bathrooms of the Palais de Festivals.

Visitors to the building’s bathrooms have a musical accompaniment to their trip - a selection of muzak versions of classic film scores.

So far, I’ve enjoyed the themes to Chariots of Fire and The Exorcist.

Yes, Cannes loves cinema indeed.

A few barbed comments and questions were thrown at the Southland Tales press conference.

The film, directed by Richard Kelly and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and The Rock, was poorly received by the critics and journalists I spoke to earlier today.

Linklater (l), actor Greg Kinnear and writer Eric Schlosser spread the word

At the conference, the film’s producer was explaining how the US Immigration office had almost caused Kelly to miss the festival because they lost his documents during his application for a new passport.

“Do you think it’s because they saw the script?” shouted out one American journalist at the back of the room.

A Colombian journalist asked Gellar if, after portraying a porn star in the film, she had any ambitions to appear in a pornographic movie.

Gellar flashed a dazzling smile and said her acting career gave her plenty of opportunities to live out any fantasy.

I have just emerged blinking and baffled from the screening of Richard Kelly’s new film, Southland Tales.

His first film Donnie Darko was complex, but child’s play in comparison with this convoluted, disjointed, postmodern noodle soup of a movie.

It is set in the near future in which Los Angeles has become a dystopia of police and military enforcement, with power held by the providers of a so-called miracle fuel source.

Characters jump in and out of focus with little sense of a structured plot or idea of what is happening in the great scheme of things.

It reminded me a little of the novels by Thomas Pynchon; surreal, mixing genres and styles, cut up and very “west coast USA”.

The cast includes The Rock, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sean William Scott and Justin Timberlake.

References to the Iraq war and its veterans, US paranoia over energy sources, capitalism, globalisation and Marxism are littered through out the film.

There are some amazing visual sequences and concepts - including snipers posted permanently throughout Los Angeles to monitor and stop civil disobedience and a great music montage involving Timberlake.

But the question you probably want answered is: Is it any good?

Twenty or 30 people left the film before the end - but that is not too unusual at screenings.

No-one booed or whistled and there was some applause when the credits rolled.

I don’t think it is a great movie.

But like the soldiers in the film - I’m shell-shocked.

The Grand Theatre Lumiere is filling up early for a screening of competition film Southland Tales, directed by Richard Kelly.

Kelly is the new darling of American indie cinema. His first film Donnie Darko was a genuine cult phenomenon; a film which had little impact when first released in the US but then thanks to European cinema goers became a global DVD hit.

The American promoters had pitched it as yet another teen horror flick when in fact it was a deeply moving look at breakdown and family relationships with a slice of time travel thrown in.

Early DVD releases of the film contained a thank-you note from Kelly thanking fans for keeping the film alive.

Southland Tales is eagerly awaited. I have deliberately avoided reading too much about the film so am going into the screening blind, but excited.

The message has come through loud and clear - The Lesbian Vampire Killers is the film you wish me to find a little bit more about here at Cannes.

I’d like to say I’m disappointed… Expect to hear more on that film next week.

I’ve just emerged from a press conference by Al Gore, who is in Cannes to promote a documentary about his environmental campaigning.

He was an engaging speaker who occasionally drifted into rhetoric - but it was quote-worthy rhetoric.

When the conference host deferentially asked how he would like to be addressed, he responded: “Your adequacy.”

He also made a point of name-checking Apple computers on a couple of occasions - and the computer firm’s laptop computers are high-profile through out the film.

When the host erroneously referred to Gore’s “Powerpoint presentations” Mr Gore quickly made clear he was using “Apple’s Keynote program”.

He later referred to “my Apple computer, with the large screen”.

Why such a stickler for brand accuracy? Well, Mr Gore is a board member at Apple.

There were a disappointingly small number of journalists at the press conference for Red Road, the British film in the main competition for the Palme d’Or.

Perhaps because it is by a new director, perhaps because it is quite a bleak film. The two press screenings were both packed on Friday night, so perhaps there is another reason….

Whatever the actual reason I suspect it means the film is unlikely to be in the running for the big prize at Cannes.

Director Andrea Arnold was not the most forthcoming person about her film. She felt a little over protective about the movie but given that she has just finished working on it that is perhaps understandable.

The film isn’t quite finished, she admitted, and there is still more work to be done on the sound.

The cast had not yet seen the film either so they seemed a touch nervous about the finished article also.

It’s always hard to judge what the Cannes jury will decide but the favourite for the Palme d’Or right now is Pedro Almodovar’s Volver.

One critic said he felt it was Almodovar’s best work for a long, long time.

Yes, I have been eavesdropping again.

Cannes is one of the best places in the world to eavesdrop on the most remarkable conversations.

This was overheard a few moments ago in the press room at the Palais du Festivals.

Woman: “I’ve got documents right here (in my bag) which prove that Mary Magdalene is not the woman sat next to Jesus in Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Is there anyone here I could talk to about a press release?

“Dan Brown is wrong to say in his book that it is Mary Magdalene.”

Sadly, for the American woman who apparently has been researching this matter for the last 25 years and is in her 60s, she was talking to a French woman charged with ensuring everyone’s wi-fi access was working in the press room.

The very polite French woman stared blankly at the American researcher for some moments before our intrepid historian gave up and left.

I was tempted to chase her down the corridor but stories about the Da Vinci Code are so last Wednesday.

No cocktails for me last night on board a yacht, sadly. I had to ensure my place at the screening of UK director Andrea Arnold’s film Red Road and with limited spaces I had to queue up an hour before time.

I have not queued for a movie for many a year - the last was probably one of the Star Wars films. And that’s where the links between Arnold and George Lucas’ films ends.

Red Road is a bleak and taut psychological essay about a woman who becomes obsessed with a man the audience is led to believe had something to do with the death of her husband and child.

Not one for the popcorn crowd.

The press conference with Andrea Arnold is later this afternoon so I will get a chance to put my questions to her then.

The man who used to be “the next President of the United States” is in Cannes also. Al Gore is the subject of a powerful documentary about global warming, called An Inconvenient Truth, and he faces the press this afternoon.

I expect a full house for that.

Finally, it looks like The Lesbian Killer Vampires is winning your vote for which film I follow up on here at Cannes. I’ll take a final reading at midday today but I have to say - I’m not surprised by the choice.

I would not want to say our readers are predictable but…

I’ve just spent an hour wandering around the Marche Du Film at Cannes. This is where the smaller film companies and producers get to flog their wares to buyers from around the world.

It has the air of the bargain bin at HMV or Virgin - there is a lot of rubbish, but somewhere deep down you might find a copy of the latest Snow Patrol album for 4.

Thousands of films are being offered for distribution and most seem to be about One Man Against The Odds…

It also confirms my suspicions - which I doubt would be popular at Cannes if they were to be known - that simply too many films are being made.

Outside the Marche pavilion I see a poster for a film with the worst title I’ve come across yet. It’s called Poltergay - as in Poltergeist - and the tagline is: They’re here… They’re Queer.

I promise you I’m not being homophobic and perhaps the film itself is wonderful…

I’m doing the rounds at the UK film tent soon to see if I can get a sense of how the British industry is faring at Cannes. I’m currently piggybacking on their free wi-fi - along with about 10 other people - and I was hoping to see a few British film luminaries.

I think I’ve just seen Derek Malcolm, of the Guardian newspaper. Does he count?

I have also lined up my first cocktail reception on a yacht. In case you think I’m on a big freebie here at Cannes, I will be enduring a presentation about Blu-ray DVD, one of the next generation of DVD technologies.

How many films did you watch in the last 12 months? I watch about two or three films a month, if you include all the DVDs I watch as well.

I think I am about average, so the question is: how big does the global film industry need to be to supply the world of cinema-goers?

I only ask because the one clear impression I get from Cannes is that there are too many films being made.

I’m not saying film-makers should simply quit - at least not the ones who are trying to do something artistic. But copycat film-makers must be the most optimistic people in the world.

The world is drowning in film, and so am I here at Cannes.

So aside from the key films in competition, what else should BBC News be looking at? We want you to help us - or rather me.

Below is a list of random films currently being promoted at Cannes, all clearly commercial projects.

Vote for the one you want me to find out more information about.

VOTE Which film should Darren see? The Lesbian Vampire Killers Voodoo Lagoon Surf School The Kingmaker Artie Lange’s Beer League Results are indicative and may not reflect public opinion

The Lesbian Vampire Killers
Tagline: Two no hopers. A cursed village. One hell of a night.

Voodoo Lagoon
Tagline: Paradise Can Be Hell

Surf School
Tagline: This Summer Get Wet

The Kingmaker
Tagline: The soldier who defended an empire

Artie Lange’s Beer League
Tagline: His team has the biggest balls in the league

I’ll report back next week.

Keanu Reeves is the star of A Scanner Darkly

Richard Linklater turned out to be warm, friendly and actually interesting. He looked a bit jet-lagged and shell-shocked to be in Cannes - but that’s to be expected.

I returned to the Palais to find myself locked out of the Pedro Almodovar press conference because my lowly accreditation did not guarantee me a place.

A friendly complaint to the press office resulted in a few Gallic shrugs.

I’ve arrived for the Richard Linklater interview which is being held in the appropriately-named Grand Salon at the Carlton hotel.

But proceedings are running 30 minutes late. There’s no sign of the “talent”.

In fact, I just overheard the PR for the film give Richard Linklater his morning wake-up call, so I get the feeling things are going to be more than just 30 minutes late…

Sunbathing in Cannes - I won’t be doing much of this

I’m interviewing US director Richard Linklater in an hour who has one film in the main competition, Fast Food Nation, and another in the Un Certain Regard category, called A Scanner Darkly.

Fast Food Nation is based on the best-selling book of the same name. I saw the film last night and it is a funny, yet serious, look at lots of issues within the US, but primarily focused on junk food.

Eric Schlosser’s factual book has been turned into a drama and in the course of 2 hours it also tackles illegal immigration, youth activism, single parenthood, capitalism, consumerism, drugs, border control, and environmental concerns.

The audience seemed to approve of the film - and it was warmly applauded at the end.

I don’t think it will win the Palme d’Or - it is less hard-hitting than Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 which won a few years ago and more importantly it lacks the hype and buzz which surrounded that film.

“How do we answer that one?”

Thanks for your comments printed at the bottom of the reporter’s log and especially for the advice of Tim in Spain.

I’m not sure I’ll have to sit on the beach but it’s clear that quite a lot of business is done on the beach, or at least the beach front, as there are plenty of people sitting seemingly chatting and taking it easy.

Good luck to Michael Bartlett from Kent, who is promoting his low-budget horror feature in Cannes. I’ll keep an eye out for you on the Croisette.

Please keep the comments coming in.

One thing that is clear is that Cannes is a multitude of festivals all under one banner and it is impossible to do justice to them all.

From the directors who self-financed films on credit cards to the directors who have more finance than most credit card firms, Cannes involves every kind of film.

One film caught my eye advertised in Hollywood Reporter on Thursday - see if you can work out what it is…

The tagline of the film is: “The secret to the world’s greatest treasure lies within history’s most important artefact.”

The poster features a picture of a corpse lying beneath the painting of the Mona Lisa.

Have you guessed yet?

Of course, it is… The Da Vinci Treasure, starring C Thomas Howell and Lance Henriksen.

I wonder what inspired that film?

Ken Loach’s film was a stirring, powerful piece of cinema. I doubt anyone closed their eyes for a moment.

It was typical Loach - one-eyed, for sure, but filled with such energy and wonderful performances that an audience can overlook its lack of balance.

The press conference that followed was even more passionate - intense, emotional, political. It was the polar opposite of Wednesday’s unintentionally hilarious Da Vinci Code press conference.

Day two of the festival and I’m about to see my first film. Typically there is not much time to see films at Cannes, which admittedly is a bit odd given it’s the world’s biggest film festival.

Critics and buyers watch films, hacks like myself just rush from one press conference to the next.

But I’m in the Grand Theatre Lumiere, where the world premiere of The Da Vinci Code was held on Wednesday night, waiting for Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes The Barley to start.

Loach’s film about the struggle for Irish independence is in the main competition at Cannes and the press conference for the movie follows immediately afterwards.

Most people here are leafing through the daily editions of Variety or Screen which have the latest information on who has bought which film.

Not everyone is looking forward to the screening, however.

One American walked into the auditorium and said to his colleague: “I need to find somewhere at the back where I can nap.”

I will let you know just how somnambulant the film is in about three hours.

Day one of Cannes is over. It was everything I had been promised and warned about.

Overcrowded, badly organised, submerged by petty bureaucracy, a press bun fight and a lot of fun also.

The crowds have melted from outside the Palais; it is just the hordes of journalists to deal with now.

Most people here seem keen to go and watch the football - Arsenal v Barcelona in the Champions League final.

As one reporter said to me: “Film is important. But this is football.”

The first official press conferences at Cannes have finished and the standard of impossibly stupid questions has been set really high.

Cannes has been gearing up for the arrival of the film world

At the Da Vinci Code press conference Tom Hanks was probed with the following inquisitions from the world’s media.

Journalist A: “Why do you love Iceland?”

Hanks: “It’s good for camping. They do a good coffee at a reasonable price.”

Journalist B: “What could Forrest Gump teach Sophie (character in the Da Vinci Code)?”

Hanks: No answer. He simply looked dumbfounded.

Journalist C: “Da Vinci made his masterpiece by 51. Will you make your masterpiece before then?”

Hanks: “I have the rights to Scooby Doo 3. If I can get it done before the end of the summer, voila! Masterpiece.”

It is to Hanks’ credit that he answered every dumb question thrown at him - and there were a lot - with good humour, even the questions about his hair and the offer of a copy of the Da Vinci Code book in Chinese.

Given that many journalists - myself included - have to fight to get accreditation and to get into the overcrowded press conferences it is galling that this represents the general standard of questions asked.

For the record I did not get the chance to ask a question. The conductor of the conferences seemed to have a blind spot whenever I raised my hand.

And no - I won’t reveal what I would have asked, if I had been given the chance.

The roads are being sealed off, the red carpet is laid, and crowds are beginning to gather along the fringes ahead of the world premiere of The Da Vinci Code.

X-Men star Hugh Jackman (2nd from right) braves the media

So far there are no signs of protesters. The film, based on the Dan Brown best-seller, has proved controversial with some Catholics.

Those camped on deck chairs along the Croisette assure me they are fans.

One of the first-ever press screenings of the film took place on Tuesday night and the reports are not good.

According to one journalist who was present, the press laughed in all the wrong places and whistled at the end.

Then again, Cannes is full of film snobs at this time of year, so don’t judge the film too prematurely.

It is day one at Cannes and an early start for myself and thousands of other attendees, from journalists to film-makers, producers and public relations experts.

On the bus into the city centre I met Jon Lucas, an Australian film-maker who has flown 26 hours to “sell some projects”.

He has a documentary, called Surviving Cannes, that he is hoping will attract some interest, as well as a surfing cum horror movie.

For the last three years he has been following the travails of young film-makers at the festival and is hoping my credentials with the BBC can get him some improved access at the festival.

“You scratch my back, mate,” he said.

Cannes police watch preparations for The Da Vinci Code premiere

But he did not look too impressed when he saw the colour of my accreditation and smoothly turned to a group of Koreans on the bus who are in Cannes to buy some films.

All too soon I have sensed my place in the food chain.

Wednesday is Da Vinci Code day.

The film receives its world premiere at the festival and some dedicated fans and unaccredited photographers have staked out their spots opposite the Palais du Festivals.

I wandered over to speak to the fans hoping to capture some of their excitement ahead of the arrival of Tom Hanks and French favourites Audrey Tautou and Jean Reno.

The group consisted of mainly middle-aged women who looked like they were waiting for the local supermarket to open.

There was an air of indifference hanging over them and nobody spoke English.

My attempts to engage them in GCSE-level French conversation proved futile.

At events like this the cliche is to say that “excitement is building”.

I’m not so sure…

The business of Cannes starts before we even touch down at near-by airport Nice.

Behind me on the packed plane from London two people discuss a script they are hoping to pitch at the film festival.

Person A: “It took me an hour to read the first 100 pages.”

Person B: “Yes, it’s all words and no action.”

I was under the assumption that being “all words” was a good thing for a script, but then this is my first time at Cannes, so what do I know?

A few rows further ahead a group of people boarded clutching boxes of flyers for a 10 minute short film they are involved in.

I only caught a glimpse of the flyers but I think it stars Les Dennis. One to track down later in the festival.

Cannes is bristling with activity: marquees are being erected, posters put in place, carpets are being nailed down.

Less than 24 hours before the start of the festival and it would appear that there is a lot to be done before it is ready for business.

The key to a successful Cannes for any journalist is to get the right level of accreditation. Journalists get a different-coloured badge depending on their relative importance.

I’ve been given a pink badge. Is that good? Is that bad?

I have no idea but guess I will find out when I attend the Da Vinci Code press conference on Wednesday.

---

Send us your thoughts on Darren’s diary and tell us what you think of the films competing for this year’s Palme d’Or.

Thank you ever so much for making this year’s Cannes such fun for the ones who had to stay at home! Don’t know if there is a life after this blog will end? Could you please start another one, any old topic will be OK.
Danny, Berlin, Germany

Hey, why no comment on Flandres? Maybe because it was so boring? I have to say I slept through part of it and fought to stay awake for the rest. The point of this film eluded me entirely. Maybe you can help …
Anne Dewez, Monaco

I’ve heard about an exciting new independent film called Paradise Lost. A horror about a reality show gone bad. Did you hear about it? Any buzz?
Lisa, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Any news or gossip on any far-eastern movies? We need more “Oldboy”s.
Dave Beasley, Horsham, UK

Try and get a review of the Weinstein-backed Kevin Smith/Scott Mosier production of Clerks 2. A $5m flick that will instantly make the bank and then spend next ten years trebling it on the DVD market.
Richard Morrell, Southampton UK

If you can, please try to give us a report on John Cameron Mitchell’s “Short Bus,” which is playing out of competition. It’s been six years since he made “Hedwig & The Angry Inch” and perhaps his new film is a worthy Cannes discovery. Thanks!
Christopher Tenzis, United States

I think Darren’s just jealous because he didn’t get any autographs at the X-Men 3 photocall! I got Famke Janssen’s and Hugh Jackman’s! Gotta move faster, Darren! But then this is your first time down here, right?!
Simon Kingsley, Berlin, Germany

Interesting comments, except you rarely mention any non-English/American movies in Cannes. I suspect you’re missing the point of the festival…
Pedro, Paris, France

Thanks a lot for the inside look, it’s both entertaining and interesting, always fun to read. Were there maybe some people who actually liked “Southland Tales”? I was really looking forward to it and I know that “Donnie Darko” wasn’t liked by many people at first, so I still have a bit of hope. Even bigger is my hope for “Babel” by my favourite director Inarritu, hope you tell us tomorrow how that one was received by the critics.
Till Kadritzke, Berlin, Germany

Can’t help but think the PR person who wouldn’t tell you when and on which screen the rough 20 minute footage of Oliver Stone’s 9/11 film was appearing should be in another line of work. The whole point is to ensure that publicity is gained. And not inviting the BBC - one of the largest news corporations in the world - smacks of arrogance and just, well, narks me right off. Keep on fighting for these screenings, Darren. Oh, and wish I was there. Dammit.
Simon, Mansfield

Thanks Darren Waters for the diary, it’s certainly more insightful than the official page. The film I’m most curious about, being Turkish, and also because he’s (along with Ken Loach) my favourite director in competition this year, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “The Climates”. I think it’s being shown today, hope to read about the reactions…
Yoel, Istanbul, Turkey

Looks like you have been goofing off, sending stuff from the Room Service realm! The Indian media have got it right and tell us how Aishwarya Rai has actually taken over the show!
Dr S Banerji, Mumbai, India

I’m a retiree that lives down the road from Cannes. Every year I like go for a day to watch the comings and goings of interesting people but this year the best coming and going is that damn one-seater idiotic little three-wheel electric car called an NmG (No More Gas presumably short for Petrol) that some Americans are promoting for locations shoots. What a gas! It’s the crowd stealer of 2006.
C. Medlock, Saint Aygulf, France

Go and see 10-minute film B for Bomb. It reflects the thoughts of millions in the UK despite the government-compliant media’s news agendas. BTW, I passed by Cannes today on my way to the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. Much more fun than a bunch of luvvies. C’mon admit it!
Richard, St Tropez

Pink, yellow and blue badges? Gosh, it all sounds too familiar. Not because I’m a journalist in Cannes, but because I often do research in the National Library - in Paris. Good old French bureaucracy…
Vittoria, Brussels, Belgium

Try to catch my friend Dave King’s short documentary African Brummie. If you go to the Screen West Midlands tent they will tell you when its on. You might also get to see another short film by him called Strapped for Cash in which I play a twin thug called Nobby the Circumciser…also bizarrely starring Gary Newbon the Sky sports reporter as my gangland boss!
Brendan O’Neill, Birmingham,UK

If you only get to watch one film while you are there, try and make it “Poker Face” A brilliant ten minute English comedy that I hear is set to take Cannes by storm. Bill
Bill, East Anglia UK

How many movies do I watch a month? Somewhere between 4 and 12 - and that is NOT counting DVDs. Send me to Cannes next year - sounds like I’d enjoy it more than Darren. (and I love the Cote d’Azur)
Jette Goldie, Edinburgh, Scotland

Nice pithy reporting by Darren. I recommend he checks out ‘Southland Tales’ by Richard Kelly of ‘Donny Darko’ fame. I’m proud to have worked on this movie that really is a timely ‘fantasy’ that originates all its dark visions from today’s reality.
Martin mercer, Los Angeles, USA

I know the guys that made/star The Lesbian Vampire Killers (guest staring Warwick Davis), they instituted the best monthly film quiz in London before work pressures (including making LVK) forced them to stop. Am so proud that they managed to get it made & am dying to watch it on release. If you see Paul or Stu tell them that everyone at BBFQ wishes them good luck & would love to see the final product.
TM, London

Keep an eye out for my mate Susan Luciani of Double Barrel Productions…she’s travelled down in a campervan with a mini-screen in the back to show her wonderful short film ‘Dolls’ and sell her feature length script. She assures me she will be carrying a big red helium balloon with her wherever she goes…so if you see her ask to watch ‘Dolls’…its wonderful!
Morgan, London, UK

You should have read Roger Ebert’s 1987 book, Two Weeks in the Midday Sun: A Cannes Notebook. The movie/director/star references are dated, but the description of the milieu and processes aren’t. I read it every time I am on a transcontinental flight, and certain parts never fail to make me laugh…I’m also a sucker for bad illustrations by authors.
Andrew Green, Washington, DC, USA

Looks like the sun is shining Darren! More than can be said for here… Cannes is fab - done the festival 7 times, and wish I was there. Check out the American Pavilion - a bit friendlier than the rather snobbish British one.. Also the Petit Majestic - used to be the bar to hang outside of till the very early hours.. also watch out for Tromer - mad film company that make shlock horror - always in fancy dress and take over the Croisette.. whatever you do, get to some parties, drink free booze and enjoy yourself…loving the entries.
Nicola Braybrook, London

If you haven’t done so already, drop by the UK Film Centre pavilion. It’s a hive of (largely) British film-makers. It’ll give you an idea of what it’s like to hawk your wares around Cannes. For some fun, check the Adami’s “Speed Dating” event on Monday. Oh, and don’t forget to ring home occasionally.
Michael Leahy, Brussels, Belgium

Keep up the hilarious diary entries! Though I must say, amidst the jaded and wry reporter’s musings, it was quite refreshing to read how moved you were by Loach’s film. Seems at least you got to experience the proverbial power of cinema with his film.
Jessica, Los Angeles, CA, USA

A pink badge is good, Darren. Not as good as a pink one with a yellow spot, though, which is not as good as a white one. But most definitely better than a blue badge. I have a yellow badge. But, hey, even I manage to get in - sometimes! Anyway, welcome to the weird, wonderful and wouldn’t-miss-it-for-a-second world of Cannes
Simon Kingsley, Berlin, Germany

Brilliant to hear something which, I suspect, comes closer to the truth than all the glitz and glamour hype of the rest of the media. Keep up the good work, Darren, but please, please, don’t bother to tell us any more about the dreary Loach’s latest outmoded lefty rubbish.
Dauvit Alexander, Glasgow, Scotland

Look out for the mother and daughter in leopard skin prints, always hold your hand over your face when leaving a hotel, you can guarantee every photographer will take your picture. Drink coffee at the Carlton - okay the bill will induce heart failure but it’s worth it for the show but try and avoid asking the guy next to you, “What do you do?”, like I did, when it’s Omar Sharif. Have dinner at Tettu, as long as someone else is paying. Never never look shocked at the bill, just assume your card will be maxed before you finally get the helicopter (not a cab) back to Nice. Oh, and if your girl/boyfriend is with you, get them to spend the day on the beach at the Martinez, they will meet the boy/girlfriend/wife/mistress of every Hollywood hotshot and do more networking and get invited to more parties than you will slogging up and down the Croisette have fun.
Tim Milsom, Ibiza, Spain

Very funny. I enjoy the honesty and the tongue-in-cheek cynicism. Hearing a lot of overhyped reporting, so this diary is refreshingly genuine. Keep it up…
Vince Duque, Hollywood, CA USA

Nice piece by Mr. Waters. However, he failed, as did Mr Hanks, to detect and respond to the deeper, underlying significance of the question by Journalist B: “What could Forrest Gump teach Sophie (character in the Da Vinci Code)?” The answer, of course: “Run, Sophie, Run!
Randall Carter Gray, Signal Mountain, Tennessee, USA

I’ve just seen a special screening of the “Code” at Sony studios in Culver City tonight, there was a showing for all the crew and musicians etc etc that worked on it. Most can’t go to Cannes this year as they are now working on Pirates 2…deadlines deadlines… but you will enjoy it.
Dan, Los Angeles, US

Mark Twain said: “You cannot trust your eyes if your imagination is out of focus. “Well, here’s to UK Films that definitely have their imagination in focus. It’s time for the UK to gather its well-deserved recognition for excellence in all genres of film-making. If Andrea Arnold’s film or the film about the Irish, Red Road wins the Palme d’Or, they deserve it. For all the films I have reviewed, screened, or seen in my lifetime, as a film-maker and film lover, I must admit I favour the UK’s gifted film-makers and their sterling results. They have an unbeatable sense of timing, stunning and innovative cinematic details, the best talent, wonderful wit, besides all the techno details, and superb Animation. By far, they turn the simplest stories into thought-provoking content. Hats off to the UK at Cannes. The world needs more film-makers with the UK’s professionalism, ethics, and sheer artistry.
Barbara R. Davis, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

Great comments on the insipid questions asked at Cannes. It seems the foreign press thinks film is an excuse for lack of respect towards the artists who produce, act, and direct these ventures. Or is it just the French press showing hostility for snubbing the “French Fry”?
AzInd, Scottsdale, USA

Me, my co-director, and two of our actors have hired a minibus to go to the festival to promote our low-budget horror feature, The Zombie Diaries. We didn’t even have accommodation arranged until the 11th hour - in the end I found a work colleague had a house in Cannes. Accreditation is easy, so long as you have a film to represent and can demonstrate some proof. Here’s to some warm weather and some serious networking. Let the games begin.
Michael Bartlett, Chatham, Kent

It’s exciting, it’s buzzy, it’s fun. You can do business, watch films, meet people, or just enjoy the weather and scenery. The trick is to go and enjoy it. It’ll be my third time - and I’m taking a short film I’ve just finished to see what the toughest critics in the world will make of it….
Ben Lock, London, England

I will be showcasing Friendly Fire at the festival starting Monday. In total we will have 15 screenings. Friendly Fire is an anti-war documentary which exposes the use of depleted uranium by the United Stated government, in Iraq. See the trailer at: friendlyfirethemovie.com. We are excited to see how our feature will be received by the French and by the World, as our content is so topical at the moment.
Kevin Lang, New York, U.S.

Cannes for the first time. My first movie is being screened, for potential distribution, in the second week. The movie is a British independent horror comedy, called STAGKNIGHT and already has interest from major distribution companies. Go to www.stagknight.com for a peek. Regards Jason.
Jaon Hyde, London, England

Whew! sounds like a mad house - went two years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the glitz and glamour but having just spent two weeks in Cannes last month when you could get around reasonably easily I’m happy to view the festival updates from my UK armchair this year. Pam
Pam, Salisbury, UK

I think Dr. Banerji would be better off if he didn’t pay so much attention to the barely literate yellow papers that dominate the Indian Press. Rai is the center of attention at Cannes? Gimme a break!
Skasster, Chennai, India

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