C annes was swarming with crouching tigers and hidden dragons as seemingly the whole of Asia descended upon the prestigious film festival.

The record-breaking success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and a stellar performance last year by Asian films have created great enthusiasm among Asian filmakers for further success.

Last year, China's Jiang Wen won the grand prize while Tony Leung of Hong Kong took best actor and Taiwan's Edward Yang was best director.

Not surprisingly, many of this year's offerings are baby dragons hoping for CTHD-like success. Korea's Mark H. Yoon has one of the most noteworthy flicks of this genre Musa, the Warrior starring CTHD starlet Zhang Ziyi.

Kick-less flicks
 

But there are plenty of films that don't feature a single wire fu leap. Hirokazu Kore-eda's entry Distance focused on the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo and was well-received by the Cannes crowds.

Other Asian fare offered included What Time is it Over there? by Taiwan's Ming-Liang Tsai and Warm Water under a Red Bridge by Cannes veteran Shohei Imamura of Japan. Kung fu addicts had a colossal variety of choices ranging from Thailand's Tears of the Black Tiger to Guns of Dragon from Hong Kong.

Ang Lee invades the Internet

If the CTHD director's name isn't big enough, he reached out to Internet users trapped in dark rooms with no src=time for the big screen.

The short film Chosen about a Tibetan boy in New York with mystical powers was featured at www.bmwfilms.com.

Speaking of the Internet, fans of former Miss Saigon star, Jennifer Paz can download three songs off her new album, including "I'm Free," at the farmclub.com site. As long as you're there, you might as well cast a vote for her.

Despite mixed reviews from critics, Cinderella starring Paolo Montalban continues to draw big crowds. Paolo, you will remember, starred in the Disney version of the classic opposite Brandy. Ageless Eartha Kitt plays the fairy godmother, while 19-year-old Jamie-Lynn Sigler takes the title role.

News is that Jackie Chan is ready to sign on to The Tuxedo a Dream Works film about a man whose life changes dramatically after he gets hold of a high-tech government tuxedo.

According to JPOP's Dennis A. Amith, Sony Music Entertainment(Japan) and Sony Music International are ready to push L'Arc~en~Ciel's "Click Singles Best 13" later in May.

Expect another supernatural thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, director of The Sixth Sense. Disney appears set to pay an eight-figure sum for Signs, a movie about the appearance of mysterious crop circles in Pennsylvania.

Congratz to Chow Yun Fat for being chosen one of People Magazine's most beautiful people. He's known as one of the humblest guys in the business and probably doesn't know what to do with himself these days.

Getting back to Cannes, Asian Fortissimo Film Sales is relaunching its commercial venture Lighthouse Entertainment to reexplore the "mainstream" film market.

Fortissimo will handle Tsui Hark's The Era of Vampires and is also steering a lineup of hot young Thai filmmakers. Eye by Danny and Oxide Pang is one such film which is being marketed at Cannes.

 

 
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