Wim Wenders

Screened in the official competition at the last Cannes Film Festival in May, Wim Wenders’s Perfect Days is set in Tokyo and follows the quiet and uncomplicated life of Hirayama, a toilet cleaner, played by Koji Yakusho, (this year winner of the Best Actor award). His daily existence consists of driving in his van from job to job, listening to cassettes of classic rock music, as he fastidiously carries out his tasks which he takes much pride in.

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster, a recent film by the Cannes regular director, received the Best Screenplay award for its script by Yuji Sakamoto. German director Wim Wenders' Perfect Days, funded by the Japanese fast fashion brand Uniqlo, won the Best Actor award for Koji Yakusho, who portrayed a janitor in a public restroom in Tokyo who loves a quiet life.

Juliette Binoche cooks in La Passion de Dodin Bouffant, and former Cannes-winner Wim Wenders tells us the story of a janitor in Perfect Days, In between, there were more starlets than stars on the red carpet, save for – of course – the stars of the two films.  .

What is the proper word? Falicia? Vibender? Does it matter? On the second day on the Lido the Light was on the red carpet, and the fans found it very good. Golden Globe nominees Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender - who met and became an item on the set of Derek Cianfrance's The Light Between Oceans - were everywhere as their film screened in competition- followed closely by Golden Globe winner Amy Adams and Golden Globe nominee Jeremy Renner, stars of Denis Villeneuve's Arrival, and Lido veteran Wim Wenders, his excellent sneaker collection and his The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez.