The Cannes Film Festival, which debuts today, will go on until May 25.
The film Blindness, by Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener), will open the festival. It is starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover and Alice Braga. The film is an adaptation from the novel by a Portuguese author, José Saramango. The idea for this film was sparked in Canada, from the production company Rhombus Media.
Many stars will walk the red carpet such as Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Catherine Deneuve, Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg.
There will be 22 films competing for the famous Golden Palm, with Sean Penn as the presiding judge.
More than 15 000 festival-goers (journalists and professionals) will be present during the event, as well as more than 200 000 curious sightseers, tourists and paparazzis. The population in Cannes is around 70 000, but this number triples during the popular event.