:: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15
Samira Makhmalbaf's At Five in the Afternoon, an interesting but laborious film about the current situation of women in Afghanistan, was followed by little sister Hana's behind-the-scene documentary Joy of Madness. Despite the presence of actors Malcom McDowell and Neve Campbell, the US premiere of Robert Altman's new film about the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago didn't provide such good Company. Kim Hyun-Jung's Double Agent transposed cold war conspiracy movies into a divided Korea, focusing on psychology rather than action.

:: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14
Siegfried's Sansa, a highly artistic but ridiculously cliché-driven French film about the peregrinations of a street hustler throughout the world didn't go anywhere. Paul Harather's Adam & Eve offered a fresh and biting look at the life of a German couple struggling with fidelity. The world premiere of Amanda Micheli's Double Dare, a fun documentary about two stuntwomen, was the event of the night, supported by the highly visible presence of director Quentin Tarantino and actress Lucy Lawless.

:: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13
Catering mostly to the Indie rock crowd, Live Forever offered a fun look at the Britpop scene in the 90’s, focusing on emblematic bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Massive Attack. The tribute to Anthony Minghella offered an opportunity to learn about the importance of the collaborative process in the director’s work, with special guests such as Sidney Pollack, production designer Dante Ferreti and cinematographer John Seale; six scenes from the upcoming Cold Mountain were also presented. Ending the night with special guest Malcom McDowell, Red Roses And Petrol was a low-budget adaptation, decent but slightly soapy, of a play about a dysfunctional Irish family gathered together for the father’s funeral.

:: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12
How does a pretentious and vain New-York-arty-style-student-film look? Nobody Needs To Know. However, The Triplets of Belleville, an old-fashioned and charming animated film, did ride high among spectators. Serbian romantic comedy An Almost Ordinary Life was a fairly normal, ordinary love story set in Belgrade—showing above all the desire to return to normalcy and the banalities of love after years of war and dictatorship.

:: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11
While you wouldn't want to hang out with Two Friends, a tedious and inane Italian film about the unlikely friendship between a simpleton and a hit man, Buddy, a tale of friendship and love among Norwegian teenagers was a real surprise, with its fresh and charming tones. Noi Albino, which has built a solid reputation on the festival circuit, is without a doubt THE highlight of the festival so far, along with Dolls. The young lead actor was present for a Q&A.

:: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9
There were several red carpet premieres on Sunday night. While House of Sand and Fog was a serious centerpiece gala, The Big Empty, a comedy noir, starring John Favreau, was certainly a fun rendezvous on and offscreen. The director as well as actors John Favreau and Sean Bean were present for a Q&A while Vince Vaugh, the other half of Swingers, also joined the party. The documentary Bodysong, a kaleidoscope of the human experience in the last century with a soundtrack from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, was breathtaking. Another highlight was Nicotina, a dark Mexican comedy starring Diego Luna, offering more than one Tarantino moment of horror. Kamchatka, Argentina's entry for Best Foreign Language film, featured a heartbreaking performance by Cecilia Roth as a mother and scientist trying to keep her family together after the military coup of 1976.

:: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8
This was a very varied and international day, starting with Fassbinder in Hollywood, an informative documentary about Germany's emblematic director and his tense relationship with Hollywood. The Director and a friend of Fassbinder's were present to answer questions. Fuse, another colorful Bosnian comedy about ethnic relations and corruption, provided its share of comedy and sadness. The Barbarian Invasions from Canadian filmmaker Denis Arcand, a very rich film about life, death, sex and history, is without a doubt one of the most ambitious features of the festival. Arcand was there to answer questions with his usual sense for irony. In The City provided an engaging look at the life of 30 somethings struggling with love in Barcelona. Finally, in Go Further, an engaging often hilarious documentary about Woody Harrelson's journey down the California coast with a bus full of characters, offered some viable alternatives to the way we live.

:: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Bon Voyage was definitively a fun and fast-paced trip into dark days of French history, supported by a strong ensemble cast—Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu, Virginie Ledoyen, Yvan Attal, Peter Coyote. But the highlight of the day-and probably of the festival—was Takeshi Kitano's Dolls, a superb artistic love story from the cult Japanese director.

:: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Opening Night Gala featuring the North American Premiere of Nigel Cole's Calendar Girl and the celebration of the 80th birthday of the Hollywood sign.

:: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8
Announcement of the full festival lineup.