The Chivalry alerts are daily reports from Cannes with Chivas, Official Partner of the Cannes Film Festival. Each alert gives you an exclusive, insider’s view of the most chivalrous moment witnessed by Olivier Bassil each day at the Festival.
Brotherhood was in the air last night on the red carpet at the screening of multiple award winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Biutiful, one of the most star-studded and glamorous premieres to date at this year’s festival.
Stunning Spanish power couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem glided up the red carpet, following current and previous festival juries including Tim Burton and Isabelle Hupert and a host of international stars such as Meg Ryan, Naomi Watts and Naomi Campbell. The film’s emotional storyline about a troubled man slowly dying brought tears to many eyes, and evoked a particularly touching exchange between the talented director and both his father and his leading actor, who were seated beside him. As the screening ended, amidst thunderous applause, Iñárritu spontaneously addressed the international crowd in his native Spanish: ‘I want to thank everyone for coming, especially my father… I have dedicated this film to him’, which Bardem instantly translated in English. Switching to English, the director then proclaimed his admiration for Bardem, both as a very good actor and like a brother, before laughing, placing a hand on the star’s shoulders and joking: “When I want to speak English, I bring Javier Bardem as my translator!” The crowd reacted with yet another round of applause for the cinematic duo who have passionately ensured a Spanish-language film is a front runner for this year’s Palme d’Or.
Iñárritu is the globally acclaimed director of 21 Grams and Babel, which led him to international renown. Biutiful will be globally released in October 2010.