Eureka awards at Cannes

[gregory starr]

Actually, Eureka and Yakusho Koji were reported to be in the running for
prizes only in the Japanese press--the same way Kikujiro no Natsu was last
year, despite the lack of any buzz at the festival itself.  Unfortunately,
there was a major walk-out during the screening for Eureka, and the major
discussion afterwards--at least among the international press--was about
its 3' 37" length.  Even many of its proponents mentioned its lack of
editorial discipline, and it was the subject of the few questions from the
poorly represented non-Japanese press at the official press conference.
One of the organizers admitted to me that its length caused its abysmal
scheduling (only one screening? most competition
films get at least two or three).  And there were a lot of jokes about the
FIPRESKI prize being shared by those critics who lasted through the film.
Perhaps it would have done a lot better if it had been shown
closer to the beginning of the fest, when everyone was a bit fresher.
Greg Starr
Premiere Japan