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Download Kooky comedy and buffoonery are on the agenda Wednesday as the 65th Cannes Film Festival, with its trademark mix of high cinematic art and Hollywood glitz, kicks off on a light note. US director Wes Anderson brings his whimsical touch with the opening film Moonrise Kingdom, a pre-teen elopement fantasy whose star-packed cast includes Bruce Willis as a small-town cop and Bill Murray as a morose parent. But as the celebrities march up the red carpet for the gala premiere, Sacha Baron Cohen's zany alter ego General Aladeen, star of The Dictator, will try to hijack media attention with a news conference in the nearby Carlton Hotel. Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Robert Pattinson are among the Hollywood royalty who will join high-brow filmmakers at the Riviera resort for the next 12 days at the world's top film showcase. This year's bash features druggy road trips, soul-searching drama and stylish gangland flicks, and sees the return of such Cannes grandees as David Cronenberg, Ken Loach and Michael Haneke. The 2017 line-up promises to dazzle with stars such as Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Kylie Minogue, Kristen Stewart, Pattinson and Pitt. More A-listers are expected in town as well. The festival will feature its usual dose of champagne-fueled parties, high-stakes movie deal-making, and publicity stunts, such as British comic Baron Cohen's armed intervention at the Carlton Hotel. | 
