Female director's debut film opens 78th Cannes Film Festival
CANNES, France, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival opened on Tuesday in the southern French resort town of Cannes. For the first time in its history, the festival's opening film is a debut feature directed by a female filmmaker.
The selected film, Partir un Jour (Leave One Day), is featured in the Out of Competition section and directed by French filmmaker Amelie Bonnin.
Speaking to organizers of the festival, Bonnin shared that her film explores the theme of father-daughter relationships. "I felt there was an opportunity to talk about this generation of men who have not been taught to communicate," she said.
This year, 20 films are competing in the Un Certain Regard section, which highlights bold and innovative work by emerging directors from around the world. At last year's 77th Cannes Film Festival, Chinese director Guan Hu's Black Dog took home the award in this category.
A total of 22 feature films are in contention for the festival's highest honor, the Palme d'Or. Among them is Resurrection (Kuang Ye Shi Dai), a science fiction detective film directed by Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan.
A nine-member jury, chaired by the renowned French actress Juliette Binoche, will determine the winners across all award categories. The results will be announced at the festival's closing ceremony on May 24.
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Boat racing in Yinzhou dates back more than 2,200 years, as evidenced by the discovery of an ancient bronze axe adorned with an image of men in feathered hats racing boats. At the event, a new provincial training base for village-level dragon boat teams was inaugurated in Yinzhou, in a step toward expanding access and reinforcing grassroots participation in this age-old tradition. The scene in Zhejiang echoes a nationwide surge in mass sports enthusiasm -- a result of China's ongoing efforts to enhance public fitness, seen as a cornerstone of the country's long-term ambition to become a leading sporting nation and build a healthy China. While the most iconic races remain concentrated in the water-rich southern regions, dragon boat activities are gaining traction across the country. According to preliminary estimates, dragon boat races will be held in 25 provinces nationwide during the three-day Duanwu holiday from Saturday to Monday. 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In Foshan, Guangdong, total travel orders rose 167 percent; in Miluo, Hunan Province, considered by many the birthplace of dragon boat culture, bookings jumped 85 percent. To capitalize on the enthusiasm, Guangzhou plans to host over 650 cultural and tourism events related to dragon boating during the holiday, enriching the city's offerings for visitors. More Chinese people are prioritizing health and leisure amid rising living standards, said Li Peigong, president of Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance. "A combination of sports and travel has become a go-to solution that caters to a wide range of needs." Meanwhile, observers underscore the need to further unleash the nation's sports consumption potential. "It is necessary to broaden access to fitness and sports programs nationwide. And teaching people how to play sports will be the first step to boost sports consumption," said Wang Yuxiong, head of the sports economics research center at Central University of Finance and Economics.
