Many US actors search out a VIP room to hide from the few commoners admitted to post-screening parties at Cannes. But not Michael Pitt, who took to the stage and rocked the house at the party following the world premiere of Gus Van Sant's Last Days, in which Pitt immerses himself as a suicidal rock star based on Kurt Cobain.

Pitt, who performs two of his own compositions in the film, brought his band, Pagoda (in which he plays guitar and sings lead vocals) to Cannes for the screening and the party.

"They told us that they wanted us to do three or four songs," Pitt told Reel News over coffee at a beach restaurant the following afternoon. "Then, when we got there and saw there was such a crowd at the party, we felt that doing just a few songs wouldn't do, so we ended up doing a 40-minute set." Coming next is Pagoda's debut album, which has already been recorded.

A few nights later, Emir Kusturica, this year's Cannes jury president and a two-time winner of the Palme d'Or, took to the stage with his No Smoking Orchestra at a party to mark the 30th anniversary of Belgian distributor Cinelibre. Two of his fellow jury members joined him on stage: Salma Hayek dancing, and Javier Bardem doing a guest stint as drummer.