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The Iraqi war returned to Cannes on Thursday as Naomi Watts and Sean Penn take the lead roles in the film ‘Fair Game’, based on a true story about a CIA spy who was forsaken by the Bush administration.

The film by Doug Liman, who also directed ‘The Bourne Identity’, received both boos and applause during the press screening days before the red carpet premiere in the French Rivieria.

The story tells how CIA spy Valerie Plame, played by Watts, was betrayed by the White House to get even at her husband, who made public claims that the Bush administration tampered with evidence regarding weapons of mass destruction to justify the war in Iraq.

US president George W. Bush justified the invasion of Iraq by saying Saddam was hiding an arsenal of such deadly weapons.

‘Fair Game’ is the second movie in 2010 that pays attention to the controversy. The other movie, ‘Green Zone’, sees Matt Damon playing the role of a US army officer searching for weapons of mass destruction in the Middle Eastern country.

The conflict in Iraq also reached Cannes Wednesday after British director Ken Loach showed off his own film ‘Route Irish’, tells the story of private security contractors working in Iraq.

Liman’s film is the only American movie vying for the Palme d’Or, which is the most prestigious award given at Cannes.

Bleak movies of Soviet dictatorship, murder, and police brutality are just some of the eyebrow-raising offerings from eastern and central Europe at Cannes.

“Some people make comedies. Others have a different point of view”, stated Sergei Loznitsa, the Ukrainian director of the movie ‘My Joy’, which is all about the bad cops and deprived peasants in a snowy rural area in Russia. The film premiered Wednesday.

“A single artist cannot present all the points of view at the same time”, the director added to support the bleakness of his masterpiece, which is set in Russia despite being filmed in Ukraine. ‘My Joy’ is Ukraine’s first ever entry at Cannes.

The Ukrainian film competes for the top prize, Palme d’Or, which will be handed out this coming Sunday.

Film magazine Screen described the movie as “an intriguing but often messily impenetrable dramatic debut… It’s hard to imagine that many viewers will consider their patience sufficiently rewarded”.

Meanwhile, Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo is utilising the gothic associations of eastern and central Europe, which actually dates back to Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

“Tender Son”, the Palme entry of Mundruczo, is a modern version of the Frankenstein story. It starts screening on Friday.

Rudolf Frecska plays the read role for Mundruczo’s film, which is the 17 year old orphan’s acting debut. Frecska steps into the shoes of a young lad who kills a family while looking for his father.

The annual NRJ radio music awards ceremony has been held in France.

The star studded ceremony and presentation of France’s top musical honours took place in the Riviera city of Cannes, known for its glitz and glamour as the home of the annual international film festival.

Guests at the top notch event included international stars such as Jay Z, Dita Von Teese and Victoria Silverstedt, who were treated to performances from top acts and nominees.

Top of the bill was singer Rihanna who stole the show with a performance of her single “Russian Roulette, despite tripping up on stage in front of the audience, before walking away with the title of Best International Female.

British act and former Take That member Robbie Williams was named as the best international male.

And audiences were left stunned after the Black Eyed Peas were mistakenly named as the Best International Band before the mistake was corrected and the gong given to the lesser known German act Tokio Hotel.

How the American band did receive a  consolation prize in the form of the accolade for best international song for their track I Gotta Feeling which they performed live at the opening of the show.

Other performances came from acts including Mika and Michael Buble.

The NRJ music award winners are chosen by listeners to the popular radio station and viewers of the French TV channel TF1