The South of France will be even more glam than usual as some of the biggest film stars from around the world arrive via plane, train, or yacht to the world’s most decadent movie fete, the Cannes Film Festival. Running from May 11 to May 22, the 64th fest will open with Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, which will hope to avoid the opening-night curse, and close with The Beloved, a decades-spanning musical-comedy from French filmmaker Christophe Honoré. Other intriguing entries include a Ryan Gosling action film, a flick with Sean Penn as a retired glam rocker, and new films from acclaimed auteurs Pedro Almodóvar, the Dardenne Brothers, Gus Van Sant, and several others. Robert De Niro will serve as president of the jury awarding the coveted Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) to the best feature film in the main competition, while Inglourious Basterds stunner Mélanie Laurent will serve as hostess of the opening and closing ceremonies. Without further ado, here are the most buzzed-about films at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Gallery: Cannes 2011
Marlow Stern works for The Daily Beast and has a master's from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has served in the editorial department of Blender magazine, as an editor at Amplifier magazine, and, since 2007, editor of Manhattan Movie Magazine.