Hollywood day in Cannes

Cannes, France, May 24 (UNI) Many Hollywood actresses, including Goldie Hawn, who today announced to shoot her first film as director in India, are willing to go to India to work.

Another film celebrity, Sharon Stone, told mediapersons here that she too hoped to visit India to spread AIDS awareness and raise funds for research.

Apart from these two, the actor-duo of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had, earlier this week, screened their film ''A Mighty Heart'', also shot near Mumbai with Indian filmstar Irrfan Khan.

Meanwhile, here in Cannes at the ongoing filmfest, today could be termed the Hollywood-Day with screening of Steven Soderbergh's ''Ocean's 13''.

The third in his popular ''Ocean'' series, the film boasts of an ensemble cast led by George Clooney, with Al Pacino, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon among others.

Most of the lead-cast of it were present here and walked the red carpet besides addressing the Media.

The film was shown in Out-of-Competition section which had also included two of the most popular movies -- A Mighty Heart and Sicko -- at the festival this year.

Ocean's 13 is about a gangster who is persuaded to undertake one last heist before calling it a day finally, and on how he goes about it.

There was a bit of Hollywood ''hungama'' here on May 22 after director Quentin Tarantino screened his latest film ''Death Proof'' in the competition. Since 1994, when Tarantino first burst on the Cannes scene with his ''Pulp Fiction'' (which won the Palme d'or award), his popularity has been on the increase.

His two ''Kill Bill'' films had added to the cult-status that he had acquired in Cannes fest.

Fourty three year old Tarantino said he was happy to be one of the ''favourites'' of Cannes festival as it was cinema's ''Mount Olympus''.

''Gods go where the great film-makers go and where the greatest films have their first screenings,'' he added.

Goldie Hawn walked the red carpet for the movie. Kurt Russell is the male-lead in ''Death Proof''.

Goldie's debut-film as director is currently being scripted and as she has been to India many a times in the past, it is expected to be India-centric.

Sharon Stone, 49, also made a red-carpet appearance in the film fest. She has been coming to Cannes in the recent years for the annual AMFAR charity-dinner, organised during to raise funds during the festival.

American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR) gets a hefty sum each year from the funds raised by thr dinner.

Sharon Stone, who is aware of the big threat posed to India by AIDS, is hopeful that some one would organise an AMFAR-India event soon.

UNI