CANNES: The 60th edition of the Cannes Film Festival opened today with the screening of Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights for the press. The official screening for one of the festival's favourite directors is slated for later this evening when the stars of the film jazz singer Norah Jones, Natalie Portman and Jude Law will walk the red carpet.

In the meantime, the press will either laud it as the next best thing to hit the screens or as sheer rubbish. Last year the press had given The Da Vinci Code a stormy reception with the leading publications thumbing it down. And producer Brian Glazer and Tom Hanks had their hands full answering a battery of questions at the press conference following the screening.

Close to 2,000 journalist queued up outside the Salle Debussy in the Palais des Festival for a first look at the festival's first film. The queue outside was almost a kilometre long. A press conference is scheduled for post noon where the press will give their verdict.

My Blueberry Nights is the story of Elizabeth (Jones in her screen debut) who makes a a journey across America, leaving behind a life of memories, a dream and a soulful new friend - a café owner (Jude Law) - all the while in search of something to mend her broken heart. Waitressing her way through the country, Elizabeth befriends others whose yearnings are greater than hers, including a troubled cop (David Strathairn) and his estranged wife (Rachel Weisz) and a down-on-her luck gambler (Natalie Portman) with a score to settle.

Through these individuals, Elizabeth witnesses the true depths of loneliness and emptiness, and begins to understand that her own journey is part of a greater exploration within herself. The film is set against New York's enmouring background, and the stunning views of the US' Route 66. Kar Wai's first English language foray brings to mind what he is known for - elegance and originality - a hallmark that had made Happy Together, In the Mood for Love and 2046 must-watch films.

Festival director Giles Jacob has already given his verdict on Wong Kar Wai. In an interview with a local daily he said: "This is a man with great class, a man who is very self-protective, hence the sunglasses he always wears. He represents the modernity of contemporary cinema and the Hong kong school, which is fairly open minded and open to American cinema in particular, all the while remaining authentically Chinese.