THE Cannes Film Festival officially unrolled its red carpet Wednesday with a star-studded ceremony kicking off the 12-day frenzy of movies, parties and deals.

    Attending the opening ceremony were stars Julianne Moore, Eva Longoria and Faye Dunaway, who swirled up Cannes’ famed red carpet for the premiere of the hard-hitting Brazil movie “Blindness.”

    Its somber note struck a chord with Sean Penn, who heads this year’s Cannes jury and who said human disasters such as those unravelling in China and Myanmar could not be forgotten.

    Penn and his co-jurors will award Cannes’ coveted Palme d’Or prize for best film when the festival ends May 25.

    Speaking to reporters earlier, Penn said the disasters unfolding in Asia would be present at Cannes.

    “The earthquake will influence my judgement with almost every movie,” he said. “This is part of our global shared emotions and life, these things that are happening. This makes us more raw.”

    “24 City,” a movie by China’s Jia Zhangke set in Chengdu City in the quake-hit Sichuan Province, is among the 22 films in the running for the coveted Palme d’Or top prize.

    A fund-raising event will be held as part of the Chinese Film Night at the May 14-25 festival. China Central Television — the organizer for Chinese Film Night — is still working out details of the event.

    (SD-Agencies)