Cannes Film Festival begins tonight

As in every year, the most prestigious event in world cinema is being held in the southern French coastal city of Cannes — the Cannes Film Festival. The curtain rises on the 78th edition of the festival today, May 13, at 7:15pm local time (11:15pm Bangladesh time). A grand opening ceremony will take place at the 'Palais des Festivals' in Cannes, where filmmakers, producers, and actors from around the world will be present.

In the opening ceremony, the honorary Palme d'Or will be awarded to legendary actor Robert De Niro. He will attend the ceremony at the Grand Théâtre Lumière to receive the honor. The opening film of this year’s festival is 'Live One Day', directed by Amélie Bonnet — her first full-length feature.

This year’s official selection includes 22 feature films and 11 short films. Among them, 12 films are competing in the main competition section for the festival’s top prize — the Palme d’Or.

In the *Un Certain Regard* section, 20 films have been selected. Outside of competition, there are 12 films, 5 in the Midnight Sessions, 10 in Cannes Premieres, and 9 in the Special Sessions category. In addition, 30 films will be shown in the Cannes Classics section, and 16 in the La Cinef section.

Notably, this is the first time in a decade that no Korean film has been selected in any section of the Cannes Festival.

This year’s festival is particularly special for Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson. She stars in *The Financial Scheme* by Wes Anderson, which has been selected for the main competition. She has also directed *Eleanor the Great*, which is featured in the *Un Certain Regard* section.

Meanwhile, Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor's film Homebound has also been selected for the Un Certain Regard section — a significant milestone in her career.

For Bangladeshi film lovers, this year brings a special moment of pride, as the short film *Ali*, directed by Adnan Al Rajeev, is competing for the Palme d'Or in the short film category.