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PARIS - A lavish sprinkle of Hollywood stars and veteran film-makers, a dash of arthouse fare and new international discoveries - the Cannes filmfest celebrates its 60th edition this week with a tried and true recipe for success.
"For the anniversary we chose to mix heritage with modernity, well-known names and new blood," said Gilles Jacob, president of the biggest global media event after the Olympics and the World Cup.
Set to walk Cannes' famed red carpet at the May 16-27 film extravaganza will be Hollywood's Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Matt Damon, Al Pacino and Andy Garcia - all in town for the world premiere of "Ocean's Thirteen".
Also flying in for the 60th birthday bash in the palm-fringed seaside Riviera resort of casinos, clubs, palaces and long yachts are Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese, Jane Fonda and U2 pop star Bono.
On the movie front, festival director Thierry Fremaux has selected "a seasonal harvest" of 22 films to vie for the coveted Palme d'Or (French for Golden Palm). They cover all genres and represent young helmers - including many feature debutants - and acclaimed veterans in equal doses.
The 2007 anniversary vintage looks set to please, with film buffs eagerly awaiting the latest offerings by previous Palme winners, Quentin Tarantino, Gus Van Sant and Wong Kar Wai, as well as Emir Kusturica, who twice took home the top Cannes prize.
Opening the party Wednesday will be the first English-language film by Wong, the Hong Kong director who headed the 2006 jury. "My Blueberry Nights" is a road-trip movie starring Jude Law and with singer Norah Jones making her screen debut.
A handful of top US directors are also in competition, with Van Sant (Palme d'Or in 2003 for "Elephant") showing "Paranoid Park", an urban expose about a teenage skateboarder accidentally killing a security guard.
The Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, who won the Palme for "Barton Fink" in 1991, are this time fitting the projector with their "No Country for Old Men", based on a Cormac McCarthy book about a man on the run in Texas.
Three other US films are also among the 22.
Tarantino - who won the Palme d'Or in 1994 for "Pulp Fiction" and headed the Cannes jury three years ago - returns with "Death Proof", a movie packed with his trademark banter and bloodshed that is in fact a recut version of a feature recently released in the US.
David Fincher shows "Zodiac", based on a book by Robert Graysmith about a serial killer who got away, and James Gray's work on the Russian mafia in New York, "We Own The Night", is also screening.
Among other festival favourites returning for this year's high-profile birthday bash are Kusturica with "Promise Me This", an off-the-wall story about an old Serbian man praying his son finds a wife.
Master Russian director Alexandr Sokurov is back with his latest work "Alexandra", and fellow film-maker Andrey Zvyagintsev's "The Banishment" has also been selected.
The big names will be joined by a bunch of new faces, among them an Iranian, Marjane Satrapi, who will be bringing her popular comic books about life in Tehran to the big screen in "Persepolis", and Fatih Akin, a German of Turkish heritage.
Mexico's Carlos Reygadas, showing "Silent Light", will be the only director from Latin America this year. There are no movies from film-making nations, Britain, Italy or Spain.
South Korea on the other hand has two films competing for the Palme d'Or -"Secret Sunshine" by Lee Chang-Dong and "Breath" by Kim Ki-duk and Japan is present with "Mogari No Mori" (The Forest of Mogari) by Naomi Kawase (Japan). -AFP/ra
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