Cannes 2023: All you need to know

It's time for light, camera and Cannes! Only a few days left for the tiny French town of Cannes to transform into the world's film capital.

The Cannes Film Festival is returning this year for the 76th edition. Spain has been chosen as the Country of Honor for the upcoming film festival.

The Marche du Film will work with ICEX Spain Trade & Investment and ICAA - Institute of Cinematography & Audiovisual Arts to showcase Spanish talent and content, ranging from cinema to documentary, animation and extended reality, Variety reported.

Spain follows India which became Cannes' first official Country of Honor in 2022. The industry event launched the initiative last year to spotlight and celebrate different nations at each market edition.

Recently, the organisers unveiled the lineup for the new edition, spotlighting a collection of new works from such mega-watt auteurs as Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Catherine Breillat, Wim Wenders, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Todd Haynes.

These filmmakers will premiere films both in and out of competition, meaning only a select few will have a chance at capturing the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest honor. All of the directors are a familiar presence on the Croisette, having screened movies there before.

Also, after being criticized for failing to highlight more women in its lineup, Cannes will break its own record with six films from female directors.

They include Alice Rohrwacher's "La Chimera," Jessica Hausner's "Club Zero," Breillat's "Last Summer," Justine Triet's "Anatomie d'une chute," Ramata-Toulaye Sy's "Banel et Adama," and Kaouther Ben Hania's documentary's "Four Daughters." Out of these, only Sy and Ben Hania are competition newcomers.

The competition will have an Italian flavor with the latest films from Nanni Moretti ("The Sun of the Future"), Marco Bellocchio ("Rapito") and Rohrwacher, who was in competition before with "The Wonders" and "Happy as Lazzaro," which won the Jury Prize and the screenplay award, respectively.

Besides "Four Daughters," the competition includes another politically-minded documentary, "Jeunesse" by Chinese director Wang Bing, who was previously at Cannes with "Dead Souls." The helmer also has "Man in Black" in Special Screenings. Wenders, a Palme d'Or-winner for "Paris, Texas," is back in the hunt with "Perfect Days," one of two films he will screen at Cannes.

Outside of the core competition, Cannes' Un Certain Regard will showcase a wide range of emerging and up-and-coming directors from around the world, including a large delegation of films from the African continent, and a first film from Mongolia with Zoljargal Purevdash's "If Only I Could Hibernate." Un Certain Regard will kick off with the French film "Le Regne Animal" by Thomas Cailley, whose feature debut "Les Combattants" won a few Cesar Awards.

This year actor Anushka Sharma will represent India at Cannes 2023. As per a source, Anushka she will be present at Cannes Film Festival 2023 to honour women in cinema. She will be joined by popular actress Kate Winslet.

Earlier this year, Anushka met the France ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenin with her husband Virat Kohli at French Embassy, in New Delhi. The ambassador captioned his social media post with a hint of discussing Sharma's trip to the festival which will take place in the fashion capital of the world, France.

"A pleasure meeting @imVkohli and @AnushkaSharma! I wished Virat & #TeamIndia all the best for the upcoming tournaments, and discussed Anushka's trip to #CannesFilmFestival," Emmanuel tweeted.

Content creator Dolly Singh will also be seen at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

"The Cannes Film Festival has been an important platform for Indian artists to showcase their talent on the international stage. Over the years Indian talent has not only brought Indian cinema to the world stage but has also helped to break down cultural barriers and promote cross-cultural exchange. Today I am honoured to be contributing in my own unique way to this exchange and making my debut this year at the festival. From making candles in a small town of Nainital to walking the red carpet at Cannes, I'm truly grateful and excited for this opportunity. This was a long-standing dream and I've finally ticked an important milestone off my bucket list," she shared.

Actress Manushi Chillar will also attend the film festival, which will take place from May 16 to May 27.