The China Mail - Cannes film festival: what to look out for

Here is AFP's selection of the issues, stars and films likely to dominate on and off the red carpet during the May 13-24 extravaganza:

- More #MeToo -

He's never been a mainstay of the festival and has not made a film in three years but French cinema legend Gerard Depardieu is likely to be one of the biggest talking points on day one of the festival.

A judge in Paris is set to hand down a verdict on Tuesday in the first of two criminal trials involving the "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Green Card" star over sexual assault allegations.

The problem of sexual violence in the film industry was the subject of a highly critical French parliamentary inquiry that published its findings last month.

- Trump -

As for almost every public event nowadays, from elections to art exhibitions, it's hard to miss the outsized shadow of US President Donald Trump as he cranks up his "Make America Great Again" revolution.

The cinema industry is still reeling from Trump's announcement last weekend of 100-percent tariffs on foreign-made films, although no one is able to explain how they might be implemented.

French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said last week that the tariffs, if ever enacted, would lead to "the American industry being penalised, not ours".

We have yet to see which of the big US stars at the festival will speak out against their president.

- Hollywood stardust -

Tom Cruise will attend the premiere of the last instalment of "Mission: Impossible", while Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme d'Or, meaning two of Hollywood's US biggest stars will be in town.

Cruise has made a point of avoiding politics throughout his career, while De Niro struggles to find words harsh enough to describe Trump, who he has branded "evil".

Other US actors in attendance include Jennifer Lawrence, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Denzel Washington, while Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong are on the jury.

- Stars-turned-directors -

As well as appearing in Wes Anderson's latest film, "The Phoenician Scheme", Scarlett Johansson is set to present her directorial debut "Eleanor the Great" in the secondary "Un Certain Regard" competition.

She will be up against fellow US actress-turned-director Kristen Stewart, who will also showcase her first film behind the camera, "The Chronology of Water", in the same category.

Harris Dickinson, 28, who recently appeared as Nicole Kidman's lover in "Babygirl", completes a trio of stars-turned-directors at Cannes with his film "Urchin".

- Gaza -

A day after Cannes announced that a documentary about Gaza photojournalist Fatima Hassouna was set to be screened at the parallel ACID festival, her home was bombed by the Israeli army, killing her and 10 relatives.

The outrage over her death has increased interest in the film "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk" by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi.

Sepideh told AFP she had believed until the very end that Hassouna "would survive, that she would come (to Cannes), that the war would stop. But reality caught up with us."

Palestinian twins Tarzan and Arab Nasser will showcase their latest film "Once Upon a Time In Gaza", a tale of murder and friendship set in the war-torn territory, in the Un Certain Regard section.

- Main competition -

A total of 22 films are competing for the coveted Palme d'Or for best film in a selection that includes some Cannes stalwarts as well as a new generation of directors.

Perennial favourites, brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, who already have two Palmes d'Or, return with their latest film "Young Mothers" about five young women in a maternity home in their native Belgium.

Motherhood looks set to be a recurring theme, while the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s is the backdrop for two in-competition films, "Alpha" by Julia Ducournau and "Romeria" by Carla Simon.

British actor Josh O'Connor will head up the red carpet for two contenders, "The History of Sound" by South Africa's Oliver Hermanus and "The Mastermind" by Kelly Reichardt.

Two Iranian films, "A Simple Accident" by Jafar Panahi and "Mother and Child" by Saeed Roustaee, will also be closely scrutinised -- in Cannes and by Iran's censors.

- Documentaries -

Interest is likely to be high for a documentary about U2 frontman Bono, a film about George Orwell by Raoul Peck and one of the newest additions to the programme, "The Six-Billion-Dollar Man" about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

The hotly awaited Assange documentary by Eugene Jarecki was pulled from the Sundance film festival in December in order to incorporate "significant recent and unexpected developments".

B.Carter--ThChM