Movie stars and mavericks set course for Cannes

FRANCE: Arthouse directors and Hollywood royalty willconverge on the French Riviera for two weeks from Wednesday as the Cannes Film Festival rolls out the red carpet for the giants and mavericks of the movie galaxy.

David Cronenberg, Ken Loach and Michael Haneke are among the 22 international film-makers vying for the Palme d'Or award at the 65th anniversary edition of the leading world cinema showcase which runs from May 16 to 27.

Star-wise, the 2012 line-up promises to dazzle with Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Kylie Minogue, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Brad Pitt just a few of the A-listers expected in town.

"Cannes is still the place to be if you're in the movie world," enthused the festival's general delegate Thierry Fremaux, who cherry-picked the official selection -- the Palme d'Or contenders plus 17 films in the new talent section "Un Certain Regard" -- from almost 1,800 entries. Palme d'Or-winner Nanni Moretti of Italy heads up the nine-strong jury which also includes actor Ewan McGregor and fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, while "Un Certain Regard" is chaired by British actor-director Tim Roth.

US director Wes Anderson will strike a joyous keynote with the opening film "Moonrise Kingdom", a pre-teen elopment story whose star-packed cast includes Bruce Willis as a small-town cop.

American stories loom large throughout the line-up, though sometimes told by foreign directors, with films billed as bridging the gap between studio blockbusters and offbeat indie flicks.

"There used to be a culture of mainstream auteur cinema, of grown-up auteur cinema," Fremaux said. "That's the cinema we should be seeing again this year." Two US mavericks are in the running for Cannes gold: Lee Daniels' keenly awaited "The Paperboy", the tale of a reporter investigating a death-row case, and Jeff Nichols with surprise entry "Mud", about two teenage boys and a fugitive.

AFP