Actors, movie-makers and film fans from the entire world are gathered in the South of France for the grand opening of the Cannes Film Festival.

Bulgaria's "Bring the Rabbit Back" will be presented at this year's film extravaganza in the Short Film section.

This year's festival, which runs until May 22 and is the 58th of its kind, presents 53 films from 28 countries. That's out of a record 1,540 submissions screened by the French organizers.

Sharon Stone, Liza Minnelli, Paris Hilton, Mischa Barton, Clive Owen, Colin Firth and Brittany Murphy are among the celebrities who will be gracing the red carpet.

At an official ceremony on the final day, the best film, director, actor, and actress from a short list of 20 titles will each collect a ``Palme d'Or'' -- the golden palm leaf that is the festival's emblem.

They will have been picked by a nine-person jury led by Serbian director Emir Kusturica and including writer Toni Morrison, director John Woo and actress Salma Hayek.

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