OUT OF COMPETITION

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skill (US)

Dir: Steven Spielberg

The story: The fourth instalment in the series - which arrives 19 years after the third - is set in 1957 and pits Indy against agents of the Soviet Union.

The cast: Harrison Ford, of course, alongside the returning Karen Allen, and newcomers including Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett and Ray Winstone.

The buzz: Spielberg has a long Cannes history. His first theatrical feature, The Sugarland Express, was in Competition in 1974, ET was the closing-night film in 1982 and The Colour Purple played out of competition in 1986. It has been 22 years since Spielberg has been at the festival with a film, but now he is returning to the Croisette alongside longtime collaborator George Lucas. Expected to be the summer's biggest box-office success.

Int'l distribution: Paramount Pictures International

Kung Fu Panda (US)

Dir: Mark Osborne and John Stevenson

The story: A lazy panda has to train as a kung-fu fighter to save the Valley of Peace from an evil snow leopard.

The cast: A typically star-studded voice cast for a DreamWorks animation is led by Jack Black, and includes Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu.

The buzz: Exhibitors shown the film at ShoWest in March were positive, praising Black's voice performance and a rich vein of humour missing from last year's Shrek The Third. Kung Fu Panda hits US theatres on June 6.

Int'l distribution: Paramount Pictures International

The Good, The Bad And The Weird (S Kor)

Dir: Kim Ji-woon

The story: In 1930s Manchuria, a train robber with a treasure map is sought by a merciless gang leader who is himself being pursued by a bounty hunter.

The cast: Local superstars Song Kang-ho (The Host), Lee Byung-hun (A Bittersweet Life) and Jung Woo-sung (A Moment To Remember).

The buzz: This 'Oriental western' is the most anticipated Korean film of the year. It marks Kim's return to Cannes after A Bittersweet Life screened out of competition in 2005.

Int'l sales: CJ Entertainment, (82) 2 2017 1193

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Sp-US)

Dir: Woody Allen

The story: Two US tourists enter into relationships with a painter while visiting Barcelona, but do not bargain for the arrival of his jealous ex-girlfriend.

The cast: Scarlett Johansson returns for her third film with Allen, alongside UK actress Rebecca Hall and Spanish superstars Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

The buzz: Woody Allen's first Spanish feature is financed and co-produced by MediaPro, which has already signed on to finance Allen's three films set for production in 2009, 2010 and 2011. It is set for US release through The Weinstein Company on August 29. Allen has never played in Competition at Cannes but the festival has hosted out-of-competition premieres of many Allen films including Manhattan (1979), Hannah And Her Sisters (1986) and Match Point (2005).

Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 5301 5020

SPECIAL SCREENINGS (out of competition)

Ashes Of Time Redux (HK-Chi-Tai)

Dir: Wong Kar Wai

The story: A reworking of Wong's 1994 epic loosely based on Jin Yong's martial-arts novel The Eagle Shooting Heroes. The complex plot involves a swordsman hired by a man to kill the blind man who jilted his sister - but target and assassin turn out to be the same person.

The cast: Almost everyone who was a star in Hong Kong at the time, including the late Leslie Cheung, both Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Tony Leung Ka-fai, Maggie Cheung and Brigitte Lin (playing both Yin and Yang).

The buzz: Wong's take on the 'wuxia pian' genre mystified local audiences when it was released in 1994, but impressed critics. In addition to colour re-grading and additional special effects, Ashes Of Time Redux features a new score and some re-editing to make the complex story more accessible. Fortissimo has already sold it widely to international distributors, who are all planning theatrical releases. Wong was last at Cannes with My Blueberry Nights, which screened in Competition last year, and was jury president in 2006.

Int'l sales: Fortissimo Films, (852) 2311 8081

C'est Dur D'Etre Aime Par Des Cons (Fr)

Dir: Daniel Leconte

The story: A documentary by TV producer Leconte which examines the trial of Philippe Val, the editor-in-chief of French satirical political paper Charlie Hebdo, who was sued for publishing caricatures of Mohammed which originally appeared in a Danish newspaper. Val was acquitted.

The buzz: With the film sure to be controversial, the Charlie Hebdo paper has expressed its pleasure that Cannes is giving voice to freedom of expression.

Int'l sales: Pyramide International, (33) 1 4296 0101

Of Time And The City (UK)

Dir: Terence Davies

The story: A personal and poetic documentary about the culture and people of Liverpool, north-west England, spanning the first 28 years of Davies' life until he left in 1973.

The buzz: There is a huge curiosity about the $500,000 film made to mark Liverpool's 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations. Davies is one of the UK's few real auteurs and this is his first feature since The House Of Mirth eight years ago.

Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 5301 5020

Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired (US)

Dir: Marina Zenovich

The story: Zenovich's film takes a detailed look at the events that led to Roman Polanski's flight from the US in 1978, following his arrest for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The cast: Although Polanski is not interviewed, he is featured in interviews from the time; meanwhile Zenovich has spoken with the victim herself, and various Hollywood stalwarts.

The buzz: A Sundance hit, where the film won an editing award, a domestic deal with HBO and an international sales deal with The Weinstein Company.

Int'l sales: The Weinstein Company, (1) 646 862 3859

What Just Happened' (US)

Dir: Barry Levinson

The story: Hollywood satire based on the book by producer Art Linson about a savvy industry player juggling two projects at the same time, one of which is heading for Cannes.

The cast: Cannes jury president Sean Penn and Bruce Willis appear as playful caricatures of themselves, with Robert De Niro starring as the producer and Catherine Keener as a demanding studio chief.

The buzz: The film premiered at Sundance to mixed reviews but will likely receive a warmer welcome on the Croisette due to the presence of Penn and co. It is Levinson's first film in Cannes and the second in official selection this year for Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment following Two Lovers. Warner Bros has US rights.

Int'l sales: 2929 International, (1) 212 277 7555

Crazy Blood (Sangue Pazzo) (It)

Dir: Marco Tullio Giordana

The story: Two Fascist-era propaganda actors become targets for anti-Fascist partisans, who shoot them five days after the end of the Second World War.

The cast: Monica Bellucci stars with Luca Zingaretti.

The buzz: Tullio Giordana returns to Cannes with a work that confronts the dark side of Italy's social and historical past during the war. This is the director's second time in Competition, following 2005's Once You're Born You Can No Longer Hide.

Int'l sales: Wild Bunch, (33) 1 5301 5020.