REUTERS - The 2012 Cannes film festival opens on Wednesday with Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" and ends on May 27.
Hundreds of movies will be showcased at the annual event held in the glamorous French Riviera resort, where stars walk the red carpet and work the party circuit in the full glare of the media spotlight.
Following is a list of pictures in Cannes which have generated buzz in the runup to the world's biggest film festival.
IN COMPETITION
- After the Battle (Baad El Mawkeaa) - Egypt's recent revolution makes it to the big screen in Yousry Nasrallah's story of two people on opposite sides of the uprising.
- Cosmopolis - "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson will ensure hundreds of screaming fans turn up in Cannes to catch a glimpse of him on the famous red carpet.
In David Cronenberg's movie he plays Eric Packer, a high-flying New York financier who sees his life crumble around him as the end of capitalism dawns.
- Killing Them Softly - New Zealand-born Andrew Dominik reunites with Brad Pitt after the two collaborated on "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford".
Pitt plays Mob enforcer Jackie Cogan, who is called in to track down a group of petty thieves who raid a poker game.
- Lawless - Described as an "epic gangster tale", Lawless is a retelling of the true story of the Bondurant Brothers, who strove for the "American Dream" by bootlegging in prohibition-era Virginia.
John Hillcoat directs a cast including Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Shia LaBeouf and Jessica Chastain.
- Moonrise Kingdom - Directed by Anderson, it is the opening film this year and also in the main competition vying for awards including the coveted Palme d'Or for best picture.
The movie stars Bruce Willis and Bill Murray, and Anderson describes it as a comedy about two children who run away from the world of adults to live out their fantasy.
- On the Road - Jack Kerouac's 1950s novel "On the Road" is adapted for the movies by Brazilian director Walter Salles. Adding to the buzz is a cast including "Twilight" actress Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen.
- Reality - Matteo Garrone directed the acclaimed "Gomorrah" about Italy's modern-day crime families. In Reality, he turns his attention to the allure of reality TV and instant fame through the eyes of Neapolitan fishmonger Luciano.
- Rust and Bone (De Rouille et d'Os) - French director Jacques Audiard wowed festival audiences with his gripping prison drama "A Prophet", and he is back in competition with a movie starring Oscar winner Marion Cotillard.
- The Paperboy - Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman star in this competition film about a man and his brother who seek to uncover the truth about a death row convict who might have been wrongfully convicted.
OUT OF COMPETITION
- Antiviral - David's son Brandon Cronenberg presents his debut feature, costing just $3.3 million to make. It follows an employee of a clinic selling injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans.
- Confession of a Child of the Century - British rock star Pete Doherty plays Octave in this adaptation of an autobiographical 19th century novel by Alfred de Musset recalling his love affair with author George Sand.
- Hemingway and Gellhorn - Philip Kaufman directs Nicole Kidman in a TV movie about the romance between author Ernest Hemingway and celebrated war correspondent Martha Gellhorn.
- Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - Hollywood traditionally comes to Cannes with a big-budget blockbuster, and this year's entry is the third instalment in the successful animation series, this time in 3D.
- Mystery - Chinese director Lou Ye was banned from film making for five years for entering "Summer Palace" in the Cannes festival in 2006. Mystery tells the story of a young woman whose death may not have been the accident it at first appeared.
