Hollywood takes over French seaside resort
Deauville is a rainy French town on the English Channel usually given over to gambling, horse-racing and designer shopping, but every September it pulls in a bevy of stars and top-notch directors as it hosts its own film festival.
This year it saw Kevin Spacey lashing out at the Republican electoral machine; Spike Lee doing his bit to right the historical wrongs done to African-Americans; Ed Harris and Samuel L. Jackson presenting their latest work; and a dozen so-called "independent" directors competing for the top prize.
The festival has, over the last 34 years, lent a new lease on life to the tiny town located on the Normandy coast near where hordes of US and Allied soldiers waded ashore in 1944 to free Europe from Nazi control.
"It's by far the biggest showcase for Deauville's international image," said an official at the town's tourist office. He noted that last year 55,000 people attended the 10-day event and 90 percent of them came from Paris, just two hours train or car ride away.
Although Deauville suffers from being held at the same time as the higher-profile Venice and Toronto film festivals, it is nevertheless France's most prestigious movie
The festival programme features around 100 films, split between new features, the "Uncle Sam Docs" documentary section and classics.
The festival jury headed by French actress Carole Bouquet will this year choose from an 11-strong competition line-up of independent American films, among them "Towelhead" by Alan Ball, with Aaron Eckhart, "Smart People" by Noam Murro, with Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Page, and "Afterschool" by Antonio Campos.
Last year, "The Dead Girl" by Karen Moncrieff scooped the top prize.
Samuel L. Jackson was expected with director Neil LaBute for "Lakeview Terrace", which has Jackson play an uptight cop who harasses the racially mixed couple who live next door to him.
Kevin Spacey signed autographs for fans as he walked up the red carpet to present "Recount", a made-for-television movie which chronicles the turbulent weeks in Florida after the 2000 US presidential election.