Stars out in force as Cannes film festival hits 60

LONDON, May 13 (Reuters) The Cannes Film Festival turns 60 this year, and the milestone means a long line of stars jostling with some lesser-known names of arthouse cinema for the attention of the media and the fans.

The opening film gives a taste of both worlds, with respected Chinese director Wong Kar Wai resenting his English-language movie ''My Blueberry Nights'' featuring Jude Law, Natalie Portman and singer Norah Jones.

The glamorous Wednesday evening gala screening is the start of 11 days of networking, air kissing, dealmaking and backstabbing in the Riviera resort, host to the grande dame of the world's film festivals.

The main competition features more than 20 films, including five US productions and heavyweight directors such as Quentin Tarantino, the Coen brothers, Gus Van Sant, Sarajevo-born Emir Kusturica and Russia's Alexander Sokurov.

Critics are calling the selection one of the strongest in recent memory, although competitions have a habit of promising more than they deliver.

''I think this is probably the Cannes selection that has excited me most in a decade,'' said Mark Cousins, a leading film critic and Cannes veteran.

''It is because of the likes of Van Sant, Sokurov, Kusturica and Wong -- these are major directors who have consistently delivered quality films over a number of years.'' He expects Van Sant and the Coen brothers to stand out among the US entrants, while Tarantino's ''Death Proof'', already in US cinemas as part of a double bill, was a box office flop.

In the race for the top prize, the Palme d'Or, they are up against more obscure film makers such as France's Catherine Breillat and Christophe Honore, Kim Ki-duk and Lee Chang-dong of South Korea, Romania's Cristian Mungiu and Ulrich Seidl of Austria.

MUSIC, HEALTHCARE, ENVIRONMENT As always, the competition risks turning into a sideshow, with Hollywood sequel ''Ocean's 13'', starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, premiering in Cannes, and Angelina Jolie promoting ''A Mighty Heart'', based on the story of slain reporter Daniel Pearl.

They are just two among hundreds of pictures being promoted in Cannes, a key date in film executives' calendars.

There are no major blockbusters at the festival this year, unlike 2005's Star Wars sequel and 2006's ''The Da Vinci Code'', which went on to gross 758 million dollars worldwide despite a critical mauling in Cannes and elsewhere.

There are also few overtly political films, although Michael Moore's documentary ''SiCKO'', about the US healthcare system, is likely to cause a stir just as anti-Bush polemic ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' did when it won the 2004 Palme d'Or.

Heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio is in town with ''The 11th Hour'', his environmental documentary that is the latest sign of Hollywood's growing preoccupation with global warming.

And although no British film appears in the main competition after Ken Loach won the Palme d'Or in 2006 with ''The Wind That Shakes the Barley'', some of Britain's biggest musical acts will be seen this year.

Martin Scorsese is expected to present clips from his documentary about the Rolling Stones, ''Control'' looks at the life and premature death of Joy Division's Ian Curtis and ''The Future is Unwritten'' examines the Clash's Joe Strummer.

U2 frontman Bono is expected in Cannes for ''U2 3D'', another ''rockumentary''.

The festival runs from May 16 to 27.

Reuters DS GC1551