It’s that time of the year again. Luminaries of the seventh art have descended on Cannes, France for its storied film festival, all vying for the coveted Palme d’Or—the crowning prize of the season. It will be a tough fight; this iteration, the 76th, boasts one of the strongest lineups in recent memory. Heavy-hitters Jonathan Glazer, Ken Loach and Martin Scorsese are all premiering, alongside arthouse favourites Todd Haynes, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wim Wenders, Wes Anderson, Nanni Moretti, Aki Kaurismäki and Nuri Bilge Ceylan. The jury, headed by last year’s winner, director Ruben Östlund, expects deliberations to be intense and impassioned, a forecast that prompted Östlund’s wry declaration in his opening ceremony speech: “Consensus is the most boring thing.”
His exhortation to debate reveals a moving sense of responsibility. “If a jury is looking for the common denominator, there’s a risk that the best film is going to fall through the cracks. So I’m going to encourage people to fight for the films they really believe in.”
The festival, often lauded for its diverse picks, features four Asian-directed films in competition: Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki, Monster by Hirokazu Kore-eda, La Passion De Dodin Bouffant by Tran Anh Hung and Jeunesse by Wang Bing. Other Asian works screening include Hopeless by Kim Chang-hoon, The Breaking Ice by Anthony Chen and Kubi by Takeshi Kitano.
Second to the film is the fashion, and the Asian contingent did not disappoint. Fan Bing Bing dazzled in a custom tiger and bamboo embroidered ball gown while Rosé stunned in an elegant black Saint Laurent sheath. Gao Ye was a vision in crisp emerald, while Zhang Yuqi made her entrance in a delicate construction of a white gown.
The festivities are set to run till 27 May. Below, see the best red carpet looks from the Asian celebrities at Cannes—with more to come in the next 10 days.
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Fan Bing Bing in Georges Hobeika
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Krystal Jung in Ralph Lauren
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Giselle in Cristina Savulescu and Chopard
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Winter in Maria Lucia Hohan and Chopard
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Karina in Choi Jaehoon and Chopard
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NingNing in Versace and Chopard
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Bibi
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Song Joong-Ki in Louis Vuitton
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Jeon Yeo-been
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Raline Shah in Georges Hobeika and Adelle Jewellery
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Aoi Yamada
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Karena Ng in Sara Mrad
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Diana Penty in Saiid Kobeisy
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Mademoiselle Yulia
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Peggy Gou in Valentino
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Yilan Hua
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Jennie Kim in Chanel
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Roh Yun-seo in Balenciaga
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Michelle Yeoh in Balenciaga
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Zhou Dongyu in Louis Vuitton
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Lina Zhang in Armani Privé
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Jessica Wang in LaQuan Smith
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Raline Shah in Maison Baaz Couture
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Gemma Chan in Louis Vuitton
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Fan Bing Bing in Christopher Bu
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Rosé in Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co.
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Elaine Zhong Chuxi in Laurence Xu Couture
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Gong Jun in Jason Wu Couture
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Gemma Chan in Louis Vuitton
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Guan Xiao Tong in Valentino
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Gao Ye in Georges Chakra
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Zhang Yuqi in Tony Ward Couture
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Soo Joo Park in Saint Laurent
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Manushi Chhillar in Fovario
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Sara Ali Khan in Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla
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Esha Gupta in Nicholas Jebran
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Huang Lu in Valentino
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Jiang Mengjie in Saint Laurent
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Gong Li in Alaïa
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Nadine Nassib Njem in Zuhair Murad Couture
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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Valentino
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Han Dan Tong in Georges Hobeika
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