In a late addition to its official line-up, the Cannesfestival is to show Breaking News, the latest picture by legendary HongKong action director Johnnie To.

The film will screen in official selection, out ofcompetition on 12:30am on Friday 21 (00:30 Saturday 22 May) in the main SalleLumiere.

Festival organisers confirmed that the film had been invitedseveral weeks ago, but that at the request of the producers it had not beenannounced at the same time as the main selection last month. The film is a HongKong-China co-production and if it is not to jeopardise its chances ofobtaining a Chinese theatrical release, needed to be cleared by China'scensorship board before appearing at an overseas festival.

"It was not so much a question of protocol as a legalobligation," said one Cannes selection source.

Produced and directed by To, Breaking News is apolice action drama featuring Kelly Chen as a woman cop who enters a besiegedbuilding with a live TV crew to boost the image of the police force, only to findthat the police are being outwitted by the robbers. Foreign sales are handledby Media Asia Distribution.