The big players of the movie industry have congregated on the French Riviera ahead of today's opening of the 61st Cannes Film Festival.

Over the next twelve days fifty-seven full length features will be shown, as Hollywood A-listers mingle with some of the world's most respected directors.

Blockbuster adventure Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is due to premiere on Sunday ahead of its global release on May 22nd.

Director of the movie Steven Spielberg will make his first appearance at Cannes for almost three decades, alongside producer George Lucas and star Harrison Ford.

The first screening of the festival will be City of God director Fernando Meirelles' Blindness, which stars Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Sandra Oh.

The sci-fi thriller is tipped to be among the contenders for the Palme d'Or - the festivals' most prestigious accolade.

Other films in the running for the prize include Steven Soderbergh's double-feature Che and Le Silence de Lorna from Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne.