Audrey Tautou has been given the honour of welcoming global film stars to Cannes film festival this year. The Amelie star will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the coveted film festival, which will be celebrating its 66th year of success.
Opening its doors on 15 May, the eleven day bonanza will play host to the biggest films of the year. Kicking off in style, Baz Luhrmann's highly anticipated The Great Gatsby will open the year's official selection. The F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptation sees Leonardo DiCaprio play the elusive Gatsby, and Shame star Carey Mulligan as his love interest, Daisy Buchanan. "It is a great honour for all those who have worked on The Great Gatsby to open the Cannes film festival," the director said in a statement. "We are thrilled to return to a country, place and festival that has always been so close to our hearts, not only because my first film, Strictly Ballroom, was screened there 21 years ago, but also because F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most poignant and beautiful passages of his extraordinary novel just a short distance away at a villa outside St Raphael." Director Steven Spielberg has also added his talents to the fold. The Lincoln film maker will become the head of the festival jury, which has played host to several of his box office hits over the years. "Attending the Cannes for the first 31 years ago is still one of the most vibrant memories of my career," said Steven about the premiere of E.T, which took the closing night slot at the festival.
Taking a break from the English film scene, Audrey has focused on her French filmography in recent years. Famed for her role in Coco Before Chanel in 2009, the actress has also appeared in several adverts for the French fashion house. Her latest work, L'Ecume des Jours (Mood Indigo) will premiere in France later on in the month.