Light, Camera, Cannes!

For movie buffs, Francophiles, and paparazzi wannabes, the coming of May means it’s time for the glitz and glamor of the world’s most famous film festival: Cannes! Celebrating its 68th “edition” of showcasing the world’s best cinema, this year’s Festival de Cannes runs from the 13th to the 24th of May.

The highlights of Cannes 2015 promise to be many.

The jury of nine artist tasked to judge the official selection of 19 films is to be presided over by Hollywood heavy weights Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo, No Country for Old Men, O Brother Where Art Thou) with stars Sienna Miller and Jake Gyllenhaal and horror film director and producer Guillermo del Toro also joining as part of the jury.

Another 19 films selected to “recognize young talent and to encourage innovative and daring works” are to be screened as part of the festival’s Un Certain Regard lineup. This year’s Un Certain Regard jury sees Italian actress and director Isabella Rossellini as its president.

During the festival, Rossellini is to take part in a tribute to her mother, the famous actress Ingrid Bergman, by attending the screening of Ingrid Bergman, in Her Own Words, a documentary by Stig Björkman being shown as part of the Cannes Classics. Rossellini is to launch her own Ingrid Bergman Tribute as well to celebrate the centenary of her mother’s birth. The tribute is directed by Guido Torlonia and Ludovica Damiani and based on Bergman’s autobiography and her correspondence with husband (and father of Isabella) Roberto Rossellini.

The opening film of the festival is La Tête Haute, by director Emmanuelle Bercot, which marks the first time in nearly three decades that a film by female director kicks things off. The film tells the story of “Malony, and his upbringing from six to eighteen years, as a children’s judge and social worker try to save him. It was filmed in the Nord-Pas de Calais, Rhône-Alpes and Paris area regions with French star Catherine Deneuve among the members of the cast.

Fans of blockbluster action flicks take note! The post apocalyptic franchise, Mad Max, is set to return to the big screen after thirty years with a preview of  Fury Road starring Tom Hardy as Mad Max and Charlize Theron and directed by George Miller.