May 16, 2007, 13:00 GMT
Cannes, France - Cannes rolls out the red carpet this year for its 60th anniversary with Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's first English-language movie My Blueberry Nights having been given the honours of opening world's leading film festival on Wednesday.
General view of the Hotel Carlton at the boulevard 'La Croisette' as preparations continue for the 60th Cannes Film Festival, 15 May 2007, in Cannes, France. The festival opens 16 May with a gala screening of Chinese director Wong Kar Wai's film 'My Blueberry Nights'. EPA/CHRISTOPHE KARABA
Three years ago, 48-year-old Wong caused something of a sensation in Cannes when his movie 2046, which was also scheduled to launch the festival, failed to make it in time and had to be screened a day later.
Set in New York, Memphis, Las Vegas and Nevada and starring Jude Law and Norah Jones, My Blueberry Nights is about a young woman's journey across America in search of answers about love and life.
Indeed, with My Blueberry Nights, Wong, who developed his international reputation with movies such as In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express and Fallen Angels, is likely to establish himself as a leading romantic director.
Wong, who has made about ten feature films, has forged a close relationship with Cannes over the last decade or so.
In 1997, Wong won the Cannes film festival's best director prize for Happy Together about turbulent love afair between two young men from Hong Kong visiting Argentina, as a result helping to turn the Shanghai-born director into one of the major's figures of modern Asian cinema.
Last year, he was the first Chinese to be president of the Cannes jury.
Shot in just seven weeks, My Blueberry Nights also stars Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and David Strathairn.
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