Australian actress Nicole Kidman poses beside a promotional poster at an event on the historic Bund in Shanghai, June 17, 2006. Kidman is on her first trip to China as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations agency for women. Her two-day trip coincided with the start of the ninth annual Shanghai Film Festival, a highlight of Asian cinema.
Fans surround the car carrying Korean singing group Super Junior as they arrive at the opening ceremony of 9th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 17, 2006, in Shanghai, China. The annual event, held from June 17 to 25, will show over 200 films from different countries.
Security guards patrol the red carpet before the opening ceremony of 9th Shanghai International Film Festival at Shanghai Concert Hall on June 17, 2006, in Shanghai, China. Seventeen films, including two Chinese works, are competing for the festival's prestigious Jin Jue Awards.
Fans breaks into tears as Korean singing group Super Junior arrive at the opening ceremony of 9th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 17, 2006, in Shanghai, China. Among the stars in town for the annual event were actress Nicole Kidman and actor Hugh Jackman, whose latest film "X-Men: The Last Stand" got its Asian premiere at the festival.
Hong Kong actor Simon Yam and his wife, model Qi Qi, attend a promotional event for Omega on June 17, 2006, in Shanghai, China. The event was held in conjunction with the Ninth Annual Shanghai Film Festival at which French director Luc Besson becomes the first foreigner to head the festival's jury.
Taiwanese film director Ang Lee, who won this year's Best Director Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain," was honored on the festival's opening night with the Best Contribution Award for a Chinese film abroad. Among the movies to be screened are "The White Countess," a joint venture between China and the UK; Pedro Almodovar's "Volver"; "Walk the Line"; "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit"; and "Pride and Prejudice."