The Cannes Film Festival opens later with US director Wes Anderson's film Moonrise Kingdom.

今年戛纳电影节将以美国导演韦斯·安德森的电影 《月升王国》开场。

The Palme d\Or will be awarded on 27 May
His movie, which stars Bill Murray, is one of the 22 movies selected to compete for the festival's biggest prize, the Palme d'Or.

However, the celebrations have been marred¹ by criticism that no female directors will be in competition.

The only woman to have won the prestigious² award was Jane Campion in 1993, with The Piano.

A group of prominent（突出的） female filmmakers have written an open letter to the French newspaper Le Monde criticising the lack of women being showcased.

Ripe with sarcasm³, the letter was signed by directors Fanny Cottencon and Virginie Despentes - who made the sexually explicit⁴ Baise Moi in 2000 - among others.

It said: "Men love their women to have depth, but only when it comes to their cleavages.

"All 22 films in the official selection were written, happy coincidence, by 22 men."

However, festival director Thierry Fremaux has supported the longlist of nominees⁵, insisting the judges "would never select a film that doesn't deserve it just because it is directed by a woman".

This year's Palme d'Or judges are led by Italian Nanni Moretti and include Britain's Ewan McGregor and Andrea Arnold, acclaimed⁶ for directing the 2009 film Fish Tank.

Last year saw the British filmmaker Lynne Ramsey nominated for her film We Need To Talk About Kevin.

Her star in that film, UK actress Tilda Swinton, is due on the red carpet as a cast member of Anderson's opening night film - which also stars Bruce Willis.

Also in competition this year is Ken⁷ Loach with his Glasgow-set comedy-drama The Angel's Share.

He has been nominated 11 times, last winning the Palme d'Or in 2006 for the IRA drama The Wind That Shakes The Barley⁸.

Past winners Michael Haneke and Jacque Audiard - who won the jury's Grand Prize for his film A Prophet in 2009 - are also in the running.

Australian John Hillcoat and New Zealand's Andrew Dominik are both nominated respectively for the prohibition⁹ era film Lawless and Killing¹⁰ Me Softly, which stars Brad Pitt.

Pitt and his fiancee Angelina Jolie are both expected on the red carpet this year.

American David Cronenberg is in competition with his film Cosmopolis, starring an against-type Robert Pattinson, while Cronenberg's son Brendan is competing in the Un Certain Regard category - which awards new talent - with his film Antiviral.

Two female film-makers join him in that category: France's Catherine Corsini and Sylvie Verheyde.