The A-listers are ready and this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which marks its 70th year, is now officially under way.

The 12-day celebration was declared open during a glittering ceremony by Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and French-American actress Lily-Rose Depp on Wednesday evening.

Prince Guillaume and his wife, Stéphanie, as well as Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel were all spotted on the red carpet ahead of the festival’s ‘Luxembourg Day’ on Thursday.

But there will be no Luxembourg films this year.

Film Fund director, Guy Daleiden, said: “We had a film selected at the Sundance festival in the USA in January, four films at the Berlinale in February and seven animated films will be at the International Festival of Annecy in June. It’s true that over the past few years we have got used to being in the selection which runs paralel with the official competition.”

It has been said that the first long footage by Govinda van Maele, ‘Gutland’, produced by Films Fauves in coproduction with Arte-ZDF, was sent to the jury but was not selected.

The Luxembourg Pavillon is this year celebrating 15 years at the Cannes Film Festival and offers a meeting place for professionals where they can discuss future projects or mingle between colleagues.

French actress Julie Gayet is expected at the Pavillon to launch the ‘Virtelio Prize’ – an international writing competition for virtual reality films as part of a partnership between Film Fund, independent French producer, MK2, the Paris Court-Devant Festival and Luxembourgish start-up, Virtelio.

Guy Daleiden said: “Julie Gayet came up with the idea of ​​this award. We have known her for a long time since she had the opportunity to work in Luxembourg. The project has interested us because it allows to develop the technological skills in the country.”