The 54th international film festival in Cannes opened today with stars converging for the 12-day competition, which kicked off with the lavish Australian musical Moulin Rouge.
The Croisette in the French Riviera town was crowded with thousands of fans, and photographers and cameramen took up position for the celebrated red carpet walk by celebrities.
The main attraction of the evening was Australian actress Nicole Kidman, not only because of her starring role in Moulin Rouge- but because she will not be with her soon-to-be-ex-husband Tom Cruise.
Other personalities to be seen include Kidman's co-star, British actor Ewan McGregor, Melanie Griffith and husband Antonio Banderas, John Malkovich, Billy Bob Thornton, Cameron Diaz, Emmanuelle Beart, Sean Penn, Quentin Tarantino and David Lynch.
Others may make surprise appearances, such as Angelina Jolie, whose charms as Lara Crofthave pride of place on the omnipresent advertising billboards along the waterfront, even though the movie is not being shown at Cannes.
Moulin Rougeis up against 22 other films vying for the prestigious Palme d'Orprize - all of them chosen on artistic merit.
US movies, which in the past have been somewhat under-represented at Cannes, dominate this year's selection. Five US films, including the US-financed Moulin Rouge,are among the films vying for the Palme d'Or.
AFP