The glamour and glitz of Tinseltown hit the French Riviera this week as the 61st Cannes Film Festival began.
The next 12 days will be full of A-listers, wannabes and executives schmoozing, posing and partying at the film industry's most famous and prestigious event. There will also be a good deal of serious film viewing and reviewing.
This year's festival is showcasing South American film and promises something for everyone, from dark independent European tales and quirky animation to good old-fashioned blockbusting Hollywood adventure.
Over 33,000 industry professionals will be in Cannes to see 22 movies fight it out for the coveted Palme d'Or for best film which is awarded on the final day, 25 May. Other awards in the motion picture competition include the Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor.
The main competition opens with Brazilian entry Blindness, directed by Fernando Meirelles who also directed City of God. It stars Julianne Moore and Gael Garcia Bernal caught up in a global blindness epidemic.
More big names in the feature film competition include Angelina Jolie in Clint Eastwood's Changeling, Benicio del Toro in Steven Soderbergh's Che, Gwyneth Paltrow and Joaquin Phoenix in James Gray's Two Lovers and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York.
Matteo Garrone, Paolo Sorrentino and Ari Folman are some of the less mainstream directors competing for the big awards.
There are also competition prizes for new talent (Un Certain Regard), film school entries (Cinefondation) and short films. In addition, the festival features special screenings and out of competition showings.
This year the return of the well-preserved Harrison Ford as archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones is grabbing the headlines in the latter category. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is directed, as ever, by Steven Spielberg. Jack Black, Woody Allen and Robert de Niro are all involved in Out of Competition films too.
Madonna, Diego Maradona and Mike Tyson are just a few of the celebrities expected to strut their stuff on the Croisette, Cannes' main thoroughfare, during the next two weeks.
Britain is represented at the festival by first-time director Steve McQueen who opens the Un Certain Regard competition with his portrayal of the last six weeks in the life of Bobby Sands. The IRA hunger striker died in 1981 after 66 days without food. The short film category features a film made by English artist Sam Taylor-Wood and executive-produced by the late Anthony Minghella.
The juries for each competition category include international film actors, directors, writers, technicians, critics and journalists depending on the award. This year's feature film jury is led by American actor-director Sean Penn and includes US actress Natalie Portman and Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron.
Last year Cristian Mungiu won the feature film Palme d'Or with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.
The Cannes Film Festival may be a private, invitation-only affair but even we mere mortals can enjoy the unique atmosphere of the resort. EasyJet flies to Nice from London and most regional airports. UK travellers based in the North can fly from Manchester with Air France and KLM.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Movies Articles
When Sallu Took Off His Shirt to Say Hello!
By: Vikram Singh Chadha | 16/10/2008
Director Summit Dutt may be the man behind the videos of some of the biggest Indian artistes like Asha Bhosle, Harry Anand, Daler Mehndi, Gurdas Maan, Jasbir Jassi among others, but his work impressed Salman Khan so much during the making of the Hello Party Mix music video that the actor actually took off his shirt to give the audiences a view of his abs!
Why Samir Soni Preferred Calling Priyanka, Miss Chopra!
By: Vikram Singh Chadha | 16/10/2008
Samir Soni always called Priyanka Chopra as Miss Chopra on the sets of Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion. He also treated her like a young girl and remained distant while shooting.
Review of Some of the Best Films From India, at the London Film Festival
By: Dr Elizabeth Menon | 15/10/2008
Best films from India were screened at the London Film Festival that promotes world films, which may not be available for screening in the cinemas across the nation. 'The Last Lear' tells the story of an old Shakespearean stage actor coming out of retirement to act in 'The Mask', a film in another film.Adoor Gopalakrishnan's latest film 'Four Women', focus on four women in four different stories with no continuuity except for the theme.
Why Jet Airways? Why not Kingfisher: the Biggest Lay-off in India
By: Arunraj V.S. | 15/10/2008
It is the biggest lay off India has ever witnessed. 1900 employees of Jet Airways being terminated out of the blue, has come as a rude shock. It is not easy to get a job in the aviation sector which is already seeing a crunch situation. The Naresh Goel-Vijay Mallya alliance has cost the employees of Jet Airways dearly
A Biography of Colin Farrell
By: Russell Shortt | 15/10/2008
A Biography of Colin Farrell
London Cinemas - Capturing Classics to Recent Flicks
By: Rajesh | 15/10/2008
London tends to recreate people with classic to latest film. Watching film in London cinemas offer you a far better experience than any other cinemas in the world.
The Magic of a Bollywood Movies
By: Shruti Singh | 15/10/2008
A movie is an important part of any person's life. Thus for an Indian, what better way to spend an evening than to watch a latest movie of Shah Rukh Khan or Hritik Roshan? Thus a Bollywood Hindi Movie is a phenomenon continuing to grow and people continue to buy movies.
Body of Lies is Captivating and Intense
By: Clarke Baldwin | 14/10/2008
As my expectations were very high, I was not disappointed. The screenplay hooks you in from the beginning. The action is fierce and fast paced as you travel along on a ground operation by the C.I.A.
More from Maxine Clarke
Top Five Bands Beginning With B
By: Maxine Clarke | 09/10/2008 | Music
A number of essential bands' names begin with the letter B, prompting me to point readers in the direction of just a small selection of accessible and unforgettable groups in this category.
Top Five Bands Beginning With A
By: Maxine Clarke | 06/10/2008 | Music
The first in a series of articles brings music fans a listed of recommended rock, indie, punk and metal bands to look out for and reminisce over. And what better place to start than by recommending five essential bands and artists beginning with the letter A.
Halloween Chills and Thrills
By: Maxine Clarke | 26/09/2008 | Spirituality
Pumpkins, gory costumes, spiders and E-numbered-up kids hammering on your door. Are you ready for this year's Halloween-fest? The supermarkets have been since the last Bank Holiday in August, so what's it all about?
Working From Home - Is It All That?
By: Maxine Clarke | 22/09/2008 | Careers
In this article, we will take a look at just five reasons why employees prefer an office environment to the surroundings of home.
Five Must-See Sights of the Eternal City
By: Maxine Clarke | 19/09/2008 | Destinations
If you are planning a trip to this magnificent destination, or are stuck for an idea of where to explore on a city break, this article provides a rundown of the five must-see sights to visit. That's not to say there isn't much much more to see, but for a first visit to the city, these five sights are unmissable.
What Not to Teach in School
By: Maxine Clarke | 17/09/2008 | Education
As rumours persist that the Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin believes in the teaching of Creationism in American schools, it is pertinent to offer an opinion focusing on why religious opinions should not be imposed on children.
Factors Affecting First-Time Buyers
By: Maxine Clarke | 07/09/2008 | Mortgage
The UK Treasury has taken steps to boost the stagnating housing market by rising the threshold for stamp duty to GBP175,000. But what other challenges face first-time buyers?
Cheaper Family Ski Holidays During October Half Term
By: Maxine Clarke | 05/09/2008 | Travel
Taking your family on a ski holiday this season needn't be expensive and stressful. With travel insiders predicting low availability and high prices during the February 2009 half term, the October school holiday is looking more and more attractive.
Art and Entertainment 
