Eureka awards at Cannes

[Ono Seiko and Aaron Gerow]

>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.  

One piece I read was out of Reuters and available on the US Yahoo site.  
It specifically said that Yakusho was a favorite to get the actor award 
and that Eureka had a good chance to get a jury award.  Some of the 
French articles I read also presented the film as a possible award winner.

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.

That's interesting because the Japanese press took pains to say that 
barely anyone walked out of the screening.  Even Yakusho was quoted as 
saying he was glad few walked out.

>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.

That was a criticism I did read in Variety and other publications.

Aaron Gerow
YNU