CANNES, France (AP) 鈥� The red carpet has been rolled out at the in the South of France.
The French Riviera festival beginning Tuesday will include 12 days of nonstop world premieres before culminating May 23 with the presentation of the Palme d鈥橭r, the festival’s top honor and one of the film industry’s most prestigious awards.
The festivities kick off with the opening-night film, 鈥淭he Electric Kiss,鈥� a French period-comedy, and the awarding of an honorary Palme d鈥橭r to the 鈥淟ord of the Rings鈥� director Peter Jackson.
What isn鈥檛 at Cannes has been as buzzed about as much as what is. Hollywood is .
While blockbusters like 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick鈥� and 鈥淓lvis鈥� have touched down at previous incarnations, studio films this year have been either scared away by the possibility of a rocky reception or by the high cost of flying in A-listers to the Cote d鈥橝zur. The closest thing in Cannes’ slate is an anniversary celebration for 鈥淔ast & Furious.鈥�
Speaking to members of the press Monday, Cannes artistic director Thierry Fr茅maux said Hollywood 鈥渋s reshaping鈥� in the midst of .
鈥淚 hope the studio films will come back,鈥� Fr茅maux said.
Cannes has become better known for its lengthy standing ovations than its boos. This year, a long list of big-name filmmakers will have center stage.
Among the are Pedro Almod贸var (鈥淏itter Christmas鈥�), James Gray (鈥淧aper Tiger鈥�), Na Hong-jin (鈥淗ope鈥�), Pawel Pawlikowski (鈥淔atherland鈥�) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (鈥淎ll of a Sudden鈥�).
If Cannes has waned as a global launchpad for studio releases, it has grown as a breeding ground for Oscar contenders.
Two years ago, won the Palme in Cannes before . Last year, Cannes selections like 鈥淪entimental Value,鈥� 鈥淭he Secret Agent鈥� and 鈥淚t Was Just an Accident鈥� went on to play prominent roles in awards season.
More often than not, the specialty distributor Neon has been at the forefront of the Cannes-to-Oscars pipeline. Neon has backed , an unprecedented streak that it may be poised to extend. Neon is attached to more than a quarter of the 22 films in competition for the Palme d鈥橭r.
On Tuesday, the jury deciding that award and others will hold a news conference before beginning their sequestered movie watching. South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is serving as president of the nine-member panel, along with Demi Moore, Chlo茅 Zhao, Stellan Skarsg氓rd and others.
How much any of this will serve as backdrop for 鈥淭he White Lotus鈥� remains to be seen. The fourth season of Mike White鈥檚 acclaimed HBO series is based around a trip to Cannes. Last month, the show began shooting on the French Riviera.
While Cannes may be light on big Hollywood movies, it isn’t lacking in stars. Set to appear over the next two weeks are Kristen Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Adam Driver, Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Rami Malek, Sebastian Stan, Sandra H眉ller and many others.
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