ALL EYES ON CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

CANNES.—Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lawrence and Tom Cruise are among the Hollywood stars who were expected to hit the red carpet at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which got underway yesterday.

Cannes is one of the most prestigious festivals in the film calendar, and gives premieres to productions that often go on to earn awards and acclaim.

Here are some things to keep a critical eye out for on the French Riviera.

1. First glimpse at next year’s Oscar contenders

In recent years, Cannes has re-established itself as the main launchpad for award contenders.Anora won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last May before going on to win best picture at the this year’s Oscars.

Four of the last five Palme d’Or winners have been nominated for best picture.

This year’s jury is led by French screen star Juliette Binoche and includes fellow actors Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong.

Contenders for the Palme d’Or this year include Scottish director Lynne Ramsay’s adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s novel Die My Love, which stars Lawrence and Robert Pattinson.

2. Hollywood stars becoming directors

Black Widow star Johansson has stepped behind the camera and will premiere her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, about a 94-year-woman who is unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight.

Fellow US actress Kristin Stewart will also bring a film she has directed —The Chronology of Water, adapted from writer Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir of the same name.

3. Big names in the spotlight

Elsewhere, Hollywood legend Robert De Niro will collect the honorary Palme d’Or.

Spike Lee’s fifth film with Denzel Washington, Highest 2 Lowest, will get its premiere out of competition.

It’s a reinterpretation of Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller High and Low, “played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City”.

Jodie Foster plays a psychiatrist who investigates the apparent murder of one of her patients in Vie Privée (A Private Life), a French-language comedy that is also being screened out of competition.

And Cruise will attend the premiere of the final instalment of Mission: Impossible… should he choose to accept t