Cannes Film Festival celebrates its 75th anniversary

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The Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off its 75th-anniversary edition on Tuesday with a lineup filled with twentieth-century superstars.

It has attracted some huge crowd-pleasers for its diamond jubilee, including Tom Cruise, who is visiting the French Riviera for the European premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick," the sequel to his hit from 1986.

Music icons will be heavily featured, with flamboyant Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann presenting his biopic "Elvis", as well as new films about David Bowie ("Moonage Daydream") and rock'n'roller Jerry Lee Lewis ("Trouble in Mind" by one-half of the Coen brothers, Ethan Coen).

While those are all competing outside of the main competition, there are some renowned names vying for the top award, the Palme d'Or, including Canadian horror director David Cronenberg.

Meanwhile, in "Armageddon Time", starring Anne Hathaway and Anthony Hopkins, US filmmaker James Gray laments his New York boyhood.

Claire Denis, one of France's most celebrated directors, is returning with "The Stars at Noon," a thriller set in Central America starring Robert Pattinson.

Following some late additions, a total of 21 films are vying for the Palme d'Or, including six from past winners: the Dardenne brothers from Belgium, Ruben Ostlund from Sweden, Hirokazu Kore-eda from Japan, and Cristian Mungiu from Romania.

Only five are directed by women, despite the fact that this is a record year for female representation at Cannes, including US indie darling Kelly Reichardt, who will present "Showing Up" starring Michelle Williams.

Last year, Julia Ducournau became the second woman to win the Palme d'Or for her violent and gruesome "Titane".

One of its stars, French actor Vincent Lindon, leads the jury this year, along with two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi of Iran, Indian actress Deepika Padukone, and British actress-director Rebecca Hall.

Other highlights include the return of "Mad Max" creator George Miller, who returns with "Three Thousand Years of Longing," which stars Idris Elba as a djinn.

Forest Whitaker, well renowned for his Oscar-winning performance in "The Last King of Scotland," will receive this year's honorary Palme d'Or.