Cannes rolls out red carpet for 75th film festival

Over the next 12 days, 21 films will vie for the festival’s prestigious top award, the Palme d’Or, while a handful of high-profile Hollywood titles — including ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Elvis’ — will also launch in Cannes

After a canceled 2020 edition and a scaled back gathering last year, the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday rolled out the red carpet for what organisers hope will be a fully resuscitated French Riviera spectacular.

Formally attired stars like Eva Longoria were streaming down the Cannes' famous red carpet Tuesday ahead of the opening of the 75th Cannes Film Festival and the premiere of Michel Hazanavicius' zombie comedy “Final Cut.”

Over the next 12 days, 21 films will vie for the festival's prestigious top award, the Palme d'Or, while a handful of high-profile Hollywood titles — including “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Elvis” and “Three Thousand Years of Longing” — will also launch in Cannes.

After last year requiring regular COVID-19 testing and masks in theaters — and no kisses on the red carpet — Cannes has largely done away with pandemic protocols. Masks are recommended inside but are rarely worn.

“This year, everyone wanted to come to Cannes,” said Thierry Frémaux, artistic director of the festival, ahead of the opening. “Everyone wanted to meet again.”

This year's Cannes officially begins Tuesday evening with an opening ceremony preceding the premier of “Final Cut," which was renamed from its original title, “Z,” after Ukrainian protesters noted that the letter Z to some symbolizes support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine is expected to be a regular presence in Cannes. The festival has barred Russians with ties to the government. Set to screen are several films from prominent Ukrainian filmmakers, including Sergei Loznitsa’s documentary “The Natural History of Destruction.” Footage shot by Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius before he was killed in Mariupol in April will also be shown by his fiancée, Hanna Bilobrova.