Cannes Film Festival 2013

The beginning of Cannes 2013 will be festive - both on and off screen. The opening film of this year's festival, "The Great Gatsby," promises to attract an array of stars, including A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio and the film's Australian director, Baz Luhrmann.

The poster for this year's festival shows Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman in a historic movie scene from 1963. Cannes aims to build a bridge between history and current affairs. The best new films in world cinema will be screened on the famous Côte d'Azur throughout the festival. In a few years, they could be film classics as well.

Cannes has a history of snubbing German films. Aside from two co-productions, Germany is not represented at this year's festival. The short film "Come and Play" by Daria Belova from Berlin's German Film and Television Academy will be shown as part of the "Semaine internationale de la critique" series. It follows a boy who stumbles across images of the past in present-day Berlin.

The only feature-length German film is "Tore Dances" by Katrin Gebbe. Her directorial debut was made at the Hamburg Media School and is being screened in the section "Un certain regard." The film examines the dramatic religious awakening of a young man who is confronted with the realities of daily life.

The undisputed stars of Cannes are the artistic director Thierry Frémaux (right) and Gilles Jacob who is responsible for the entire conception of the festival. Over the past few years, the duo have established Cannes as the most important film event of the year - above all other festivals around the world. Every director dreams of being invited.

The winners of the most important film prize in the world will be decided by US director Steven Spielberg. But he's not alone. Spielberg is the head of this year's Cannes jury, the members of which are an illustrious group of film industry experts including actors Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz and Daniel Auteuil.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi will also be showing his new film "Le passé." Farhadi's last production, "A Separation," won an Oscar, a Golden Bear at the Berlinale and many other festivals awards, making the director internationally famous. Farhadi filmed "Le passé" in France. The subject of the film is the separation of a French woman from an Iranian man.

It's rare for films from Africa to be part of the Cannes competition. Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun from Chad has achieved the feat twice now. This year, he'll be screening "Grigris" at the festival. It tells the story of a young man who wants to become a dancer but is defeated by the hardships of daily life.

Cannes is traditionally a showcase for French cinema. No less than seven French films are in the running for a Palm d'or. The most prominent director is François Ozon, one of the most interesting filmmakers working in France. "Jeune et jolie" centers on a young woman who gathers erotic experiences.

Great movies are not the only attraction at Cannes. The host of stars making their way along the red carpet is sure to preoccupy the tabloids. Celebrities from Hollywood, Europe and Asia will be there to pose for the cameras - just like last year, when US actress Eva Longoria showed off her rather expensive dress.

Alongside French films, productions from the US dominate the festival. Hollywood provides big names, but there is a range of directors making world-class films outside of the commercial machine. Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen belong in this category. This year they are attending Cannes with their new film "Inside Llewyn Davis," with Isaac Oscar.

The director Jim Jarmusch is one of the most intriguing filmmakers to emerge from the US. His new opus "Only Lovers" is a vampire tale starring Tilda Swinton (left) and Tom Hiddleston. Jarmusch won a Golden Camera for the best debut at Cannes in 1984 and eight years ago was also awarded the Jury Prize.

No big festival is complete without films from Asia. This year, China is represented by director Jia Zhangke. In "Tian zhu ding," a Chinese-Japanese co-production, the filmmaker tells the story of four people living in different locations in China, but whose destinies are connected.

Roman Polanski is entering the terrain of comedy. His new film "La vénus à la fourrure" focuses on a director played by Mathieu Amalric who is searching for the right actress to play the protagonist in his version of the scandalous novel "Venus in Furs." The chosen one is played by Polanski's wife, Emmanuelle Seigner and the film has a surprising end in store.

A total of 19 films will be competing for a Palm d'or and the winners can be justifiably proud. The vast majority of past victors are still known today. The film festivals in Venice and Berlin don't have a record like it. The Cannes festival comes to a close with the awards ceremony on May 26, 2013.