DUBAI: Chinese actress Fan Bingbing channeled her inner Disney princess in a ruffled ball gown by Tunisian designer Ali Karoui at the opening ceremony of the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in southern France on Tuesday night.
Bingbing, a household name across South East Asia, walked the red carpet in a gown with a fitted, glittering silver bodice and tiered skirt made of aquamarine ruffled tulle. The actress accented the princess-cut ball gown with a sleek up-do and a heavy diamond necklace.
She posed for photos before the screening of Spanish-language family drama "Todos Lo Saben (Everybody Knows)," which stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. At the helm of the film is Iranian-born writer-director Asghar Farhadi, who won foreign language Oscars for "A Separation" and "The Salesman," taut character-driven realist movies that explore the divisions imposed by social class and national boundaries.
The festival, which is grappling with issues of gender equality and other winds of change this year, was declared open Tuesday by Martin Scorsese and Cate Blanchett, arm in arm, before the premiere of Farhadi's film, which is in the running for the festival’s top prize, the Palm D’Or.
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing arrives on the red carpet at Cannes (AFP)
