The Cannes Film festival officially ends today after two weeks of premieres, parties and glamor on the French Riviera. The top prize at the festival, the Palm D’Or, will be announced at 7:30 pm Central European Time, which is 6 hours ahead of EST. Frontrunners are generally thought to be Steven Soderbergh’s Che and maybe Clint Eastwood’s Changeling, although past winners were often complete surprises and it could go to any of the deserving films in competition.

On Friday night, Michelle Williams made her second red carpet appearance and looked a little more somber than on Thursday, when everyone was heralding her return to the red carpet after the death of her daughter’s father, Heath Ledger, in January.

In an article about the seedy side of Cannes, author Liz Jones mentioned that the photographers at the premiere of Williams’ film were shouting questions at her about Heath. Her description is sad:

I see Michelle Williams braving the red carpet to promote her new film as shouts from the paparazzi, begging her to give just one soundbite about the death of her former fiancee; Heath Ledger, rain down on her narrow shoulders like hail.

[From The Daily Mail]

Williams was at the premiere of Synedoche, New York, with a screenplay written by Charlie Kaufman, who also wrote Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation. She appears in the film along with Samantha Morton, Catherine Keneer, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. When I saw these photos I got confused, because I thought the photocall pictures we published earlier were from Williams’ film Wendy and Lucy, but it turns out they were for Synedoche, and that Williams is in two movies at Cannes this year. According to IMDB, Synedoche, New York is about “a theater director [played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who] struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.”

Also shown are photos from the premiere of The Palermo Shooting Saturday, where the stars of the film along with plenty of lesser-knowns showed up. Shown are Milla Jovovich, Campino, Dennis Hopper, Kerry Washington (who was also at the Synechdoche premiere), Phoebe Price (who I know primarily from D-Listed), Dennis Hopper’s super skinny wife Victoria, some chick named Jana Pallaske in a ridiculous pink feather dress, Sarah Marshall, and Zhang Zilin.

Michelle Williams, 27, made her first red carpet appearance since her daughter’s father, Heath Ledger, died of a prescription drug interaction on January 22. People Magazine reports that she made a last-minute decision to fly to Cannes to promote her film, Wendy and Lucy. She wore “vintage Chanel Haute Couture” to the premiere of the film last night, and appeared refreshed and happy at a photocall with her co-stars today.

“It was decided on Monday night that she could come to Cannes, and she got on the next plane to arrive just in time to get dressed and come to our premiere,” said a rep for Wendy and Lucy. “She came in and had a long nap and then came to the screening.”

Williams, 27, was radiant in a vintage Chanel Haute Couture dress. She will remain in Cannes at least through Friday night to promote another festival movie in which she appears, Synecdoche, New York, before flying back to the United States to resume filming a Martin Scorsese movie in Boston.

[From People]

Williams is the star of the film Wendy and Lucy, which IMDB describes as “a narrative feature about woman whose life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job. When her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she is lead through a series of increasingly dire economic decisions.” Williams’ performance has been well reviewed. Cinematical notes that she didn’t attend the screening for the film, and that it is thought that she attended the screening for Adoration next door.

I love her hair like that, it’s lovely in soft controlled waves. She looks beautiful and relaxed, and this seems like a good time for her to resume her career and start making public appearances again.

Also shown at the photocall are Samantha Morton, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener. Thanks to WENN.