Le French May might be in full swing, but there’s an unofficial parallel event you may not have noticed: the decampment of Hong Kong’s top film industry players to the beaches of south France. Why? For Cannes, bien sûr!

Now in its sixty-first year, the venerable Cannes Film Festival runs from May 14-25. Featuring its trademark blend of high-brow and Hollywood (where else can you catch a double-feature of the new Wim Wenders flick and the long-awaited Indiana Jones?).

Though few Asian films are appearing this year, some interesting entries from our neighbours made the cut, including 24 City, Jia Zhangke latest bleak look at China’s development, My Magic, a Tamil-language drama by Singapore’s Eric Khoo, and Serbis, by up-and-coming Filipino director Brillante Mendoza.

But hold the presses! If the stars align, Hong Kong’s go-to auteur Wong Kar-wai will have by now premiered Ashes of Time Redux! If you’re not up on your WKW-ology, Ashes of Time is Wong’s 1994 foray into wu xia (martial-arts fantasy), and features an entire generation of Hong Kong stars in their luscious youth, including Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung (both of ‘em!), and the late great Leslie Cheung. Depending on who you ask, it’s either regarded as a pretentious misfire or an overlooked masterpiece. Perhaps the Redux version will convince more viewers of the latter (though in the case of Apolcalypse Now, the re-release only served to confuse matters).

According to long-swirling rumours, the film will not only be re-mastered and restored for sound and image quality, but also re-edited with a new score by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Wong is known for his dramatic Cannes appearances, such as the anxiety-fraught debut of 2046 (originally scheduled, then cancelled, in 2003; then barely making its 2004 screening), so some have been sceptical that Ashes … will be finished in time. Hopefully it will, as there is an entire Facebook group called ‘Support a Standing Ovation for Leslie Cheung at Cannes’, with 62 members (at time of writing), who want to salute Leslie when he appears onscreen. Really, Wong fans everywhere are eager for anything that will wash away the sour taste of Blueberry.

As screenings and schmoozing are equally important at Cannes, another iconic Hong Kong director (and one who, ahem, still actually makes films here) may also be on hand. The big buzz on the local production front is that Johnnie To will direct a remake of 1970s French crime drama Le Cercle Rouge, set in Hong Kong and Macau, and possibly starring Chow Yun-Fat, Liam Neeson, and Orlando Bloom. (That high-pitched sound you hear is every Hong Kong schoolgirl squealing at the same time.) According to To’s production company, Milkyway Image Ltd., they will make a presentation at Cannes on the project ­– all they will confirm at the moment is that To and frequent collaborator Wai Ka-Fai are now writing the script, which is good enough for us.

So when Hong Kong’s film contingent returns all bronzed and champagne-fed next week, try not to be too jealous. They’re just representing for the homeland, and maybe they can even bring back some of that movie glamour in their carry-ons, like so much stolen hotel shampoo.

Samantha Culp