Cannes film festival 2009
Cannes film festival kicks off
The 62nd Cannes Film Festival, Europe's most important film extravaganza, opened on May 13 and will run through May 24. Around 20 films from around the world are vying for the prestigious Palme d'Or top prize. Further honors include prizes in the categories best actor, producer and screenplay.
Glamorous jury
An eight-member jury will be picking this year's winners at the Cannes Film Festival. Seen here are some of the jury members including Indian actress Sharmila Tagore, in a green sari, French actress and president of the jury Isabelle Huppert, center, South Korean director Lee Chang-Dong and American actress Robin Wright Penn, second from right.
Coppola at Cannes
American director Francis Ford Coppola returns to Cannes with the world premiere of "Tetro," a fictional tale of a family torn apart by rivalries that draws inspiration from the director's own artistic background. The black-and-white film shot in Buenos Aires is Coppola's first original screenplay since 1974's "The Conversation."
Low-frills festival
Indian actress Aishwarya Rai poses for photographers on the red carpet at Cannes. This year's festival is expected to feature fewer of the celebrity-driven events that have been its trademark as studios slash budgets in the face of a global economic slowdown. But the glamor of Cannes remains a strong draw for the industry.
American celeb power
US singer and actress Mariah Carey and musician Lenny Kravitz add a dash of glamour to Cannes. The two star in the film "Precious" which is being shown at the festival. Carey plays a social worker in the film which is touted as a tough drama about an illiterate New York teenager pregnant with her father's baby.
Feast for film buffs
British actress Kierston Wareing poses during a photo call for the film "Fish Tank." The film by British director Andrea Arnold, which is showing in the competition line-up at Cannes, is the tale of a 15-year-old girl whose life is turned around when her mother brings home a new boyfriend. This year's festival is dominated by films by heavyweight directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar, Jane Campion, Ken Loach and Lars von Trier.
Bold and the beautiful
Chinese actress Zhuo Tan waves as she leaves a press conference for the film "Spring Fever." A graphic drama that deals with homosexuality, the film was shot in secret after Chinese officials slapped a five-year banning order on director Lou Ye preventing him from making films following his last feature "Summer Palace." That film, shown in Cannes in 2006, examined the protest movement that led to the brutal repression at Tiananmen Square in 1989.