Cannes Film Festival: six to watch – with trailers

THE 2014 Cannes Film Festival opens on Wednesday, when the cream of international cinema will descend on the Mediterranean resort for 12 days of A-list parties, red-carpet premieres and non-stop interviews.

But it wouldn't be Cannes without a dash of (sometimes fabricated) controversy and intrigue. Here are the films that are garnering the most column inches in this year's line up.

Grace of Monaco

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This biopic of Grace Kelly, the actress who, as the wife of Prince Rainier III, became Princess of Monaco, has already been condemned as "farce" by her daughter Princess Stephanie, the Daily Telegraph reports. The drama, she said, "should never have existed". The film has an A-list cast including Nicole Kidman as Kelly and Tim Roth as Prince Rainer, with Robert Lindsay, Frank Langella and Derek Jacobi in supporting roles.

Foxcatcher

Funny man Steve Carell playing John DuPont, a real-life millionaire who went on to become a murderer? Critics are approaching this film with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.

Welcome to New York

Gerard Depardieu stars as the disgraced former politician and economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The film tells the story of Strauss-Kahn's alleged attempted rape of a hotel maid in 2011, the BBC reports. The "controversial" film will be shown outside of the official festival programme at a private beach screening.

Still the Water

IndieWire notes that despite Jane Campion having been anointed jury president, there is a distinct "lack of gender diversity" at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Still the Water is one of just two films directed by a woman in the main competition. Japan's Naomi Kawase, who previously won the Grand Prix and the Camera d'Or, directs this romance-cum-mystery.

Winter Sleep

This four-hour long Turkish feature is hotly tipped to win this year's Palme d'Or. Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan and set in Anatolia, the picture has been described by Cine-Vue as "one of the most eagerly awaited films" of the festival, but little is known about the plot, although the website describes it was "an intense drama with an epic scope".

Maidan

As the ripples caused by the "Maidan" protests in Kiev continue to spread through Ukraine, and the interim government struggles to deal with pro-Russian sentiment in the east of the country, this documentary looks at the country's recent history – particularly the unrest in Kiev's central square that led to the overthrow of former president Viktor Yanukovych.