Cannes Presents: 'The Sea of Trees' by Gus Van Sant On paper, it looked enticing: a high-stakes drama of love and loss by Gus Van Sant starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts and mostly set in Japan. But "The Sea of Trees", premiering Saturday in competition for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, landed with a thud at its press previews, garnering the first big boos of this year's edition. News conference images and soundbites.