The 76th Cannes Film Festival begins today, with the movie world’s movers and shakers jetting into the French Riviera from around the world.
Last year’s festival produced three Oscar best picture nominees, so all eyes are on the films up for contention this time around.
It’s a record year for female filmmakers too, with seven of the 21 movies competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or directed by women.
Take a look at eight of the movies already making a buzz as the festival kicks off.
Image: Jeanne Du Barry. Pic: Stephanie Branchu/Why Not Productions
The most talked about: Johnny Depp’s comeback
After winning his high-profile US court case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp will make his big film comeback in the opening movie of this year’s festival.
Called Jeanne Du Barry, it sees the star playing King Louis XV, while the drama’s director, a French filmmaker known as Maiwenn, will play the titular role.
She recently admitted to spitting in a journalist’s face following reports accusing her ex-husband, the director Luc Besson, of rape (the French court of appeal dismissed all the allegations against Besson in May last year).
It’s a somewhat controversial choice to kick off proceedings but seemingly the festival is happy to overlook any raised eyebrows – and it’s certainly got people talking.
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Image: Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
The blockbuster: Fifth and final Indiana Jones
Perhaps the best pap shots to look out for in the press this week will be of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Harrison Ford as they premiere Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny out of competition during the festival.
Directed by James Mangold, whose previous work includes Logan and Ford v Ferrari, the movie will star Ford in his final outing as the iconic archaeologist while Fleabag’s Waller-Bridge plays his goddaughter.
It’s the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg or written by George Lucas and has been a long time coming – its initial intended release date was 19 July 2019.
Due out in cinemas on 30 June, it’s expected to be a summer blockbuster hit for Disney, but Cannes will provide a select few an early chance to see the end of Indy’s adventures.
Image: Killers Of The Flower Moon. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
The Scorsese awards bait: Killers Of The Flower Moon
Killers Of The Flower Moon is a Western crime drama from Martin Scorsese with a very starry cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons and recent Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser.
It’s based on a book about a series of murders of members of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma during the 1920s after oil was discovered on tribal land.
Reported to have cost £160m, and not out in cinemas until October, the drama is expected to be an awards contender.
It’s playing out of competition at Cannes, and while it’s due to eventually come out on Apple TV+, Scorsese has described it as a “big-screen movie”.
Image: Asteroid City. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
The Palme D’Or play from Wes: Asteroid City
A recent online trend has seen videos imitating the unique and highly stylised look of Wes Anderson films.
So, what better time for a new film from the director himself?
As usual, he’s pulled together a big ensemble cast – this one includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum (to name just a few).
Set in 1955, it’s about a junior stargazers’ convention and is among the films at Cannes hoping to take home the prestigious top prize – the Palme d’Or – before it hits cinemas in June.
Image: May December. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
The arty one: May December
Director Todd Haynes, known for work including Wonderstruck and Dark Waters, has an intriguingly meta offering in competition at the festival.
May December stars Natalie Portman as an actress who goes to meet a woman played by Julianne Moore that Portman’s character is going to play in a film.
In real life, both stars have won Oscars in the past and the film is yet to be sold to a US distributor, so makers are no doubt banking on great reviews when it premieres at the festival before coming out on Sky Cinema later this year.
Image: The Idol. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
The nepo baby and The Weeknd team up: The Idol
The highly anticipated series by Euphoria-creator Sam Levinson and musician The Weeknd, The Idol, will see another Depp getting a Cannes premiere.
The film stars Johnny’s daughter Lily-Rose as an aspiring popstar who enters a complex relationship with a self-help guru played by The Weeknd.
With reports of a costly overhaul midway through production, all eyes will be on the reaction to the Cannes premiere before the show airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
Image: Occupied City. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
The WWII flick by Steve McQueen: Occupied City
One of Britain’s most lauded directors, Sir Steve McQueen, will bring his new documentary Occupied City to this year’s Cannes as a special screening.
About Amsterdam – where he now lives with his wife, writer Bianca Stigter who co-produced the film – under Nazi occupation during the Second World War, it’s billed as having a whopping 262-minute running time.
It’s the first time McQueen has directed a documentary feature, but his doc mini-series Uprising won a TV Bafta last year.
Image: Elemental. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
The animated heart warmer: Elemental
The latest offering from Disney Pixar is set in a city where elements live together and is about the relationship between a fiery girl and a boy made from water – who find that just because they can’t touch one another doesn’t mean they have nothing in common.
The animation will premiere out of competition and will close the festival on 27 May, before releasing in cinemas next month.
The voice cast includes Jurassic World star Mamoudou Athie and Nancy Drew actress Leah Lewis.
Inspired by romantic movies including You’ve Got Mail and Amelie, expect it to bring a heart-warming close to the festival.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and sexual assault – which reportedly took place on the set of EastEnders.
The alleged incident happened on the set of the BBC soap at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, according to The Sun newspaper.
Hertfordshire Police confirmed a man in his 50s was arrested after the report in Eldon Avenue, Borehamwood, on 7 May.
The man is accused of sexual assault and common assault in relation to two victims, the force said.
The suspect is on bail while inquiries continue, police added.
EastEnders said in a statement: “While we would never comment on individuals, EastEnders has on-site security and well-established procedures in place to safeguard the safety and welfare of everyone who works on the show.”
BST Hyde Park festival has cancelled its final night after Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra pulled out of the headline slot.
Lynne, 77, was due to play alongside his band on Sunday but has been forced to withdraw from the event following a “systemic infection”.
The London show was supposed to be a “final goodbye” from ELO following their farewell US tour.
Organisers said on Saturday that Lynne was “heartbroken” at being unable to perform.
A statement read: “Jeff has been battling a systemic infection and is currently in the care of a team of doctors who have advised him that performing is simply not possible at this time nor will he be able to reschedule.
“The legacy of the band and his longtime fans are foremost in Jeff’s mind today – and while he is so sorry that he cannot perform, he knows that he must focus on his health and rehabilitation at this time.”
They later confirmed the whole of Sunday’s event would be cancelled.
“Ticket holders will be refunded and contacted directly by their ticket agent with further details,” another statement said.
Stevie Wonder played the festival on Saturday – now its final event of 2025.
US rock band The Doobie Brothers and blues rock singer Steve Winwood were among those who had been due to perform to before ELO’s headline performance.
The cancellation comes after the band, best known for their hit Mr Blue Sky, pulled out of a performance due to take place at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena on Thursday.
ELO was formed in Birmingham in 1970 by Lynne, multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan.
They first split in 1986, before frontman Lynne resurrected the band in 2014.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Image: Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”