Brad Pitt, Kidman and Stewart to premiere their movies at Cannes Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart Official lineup for this yea...

Brad Pitt, Kidman and Stewart to premiere their movies at Cannes

Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart

Official lineup for this year's Cannes Film Festival has been announced. Among the big-screen projects which will get premiered at the upcoming 65th annual festivity are crime movie "Killing Them Softly" which stars Brad Pitt, drama film "The Paperboy" which is led by Nicole Kidman, and adventure/drama flick "On the Road" which has Kristen Stewart on the cast ensemble.

In addition to the "Paperboy", Kidman is also expected to make appearance at the event to screen her other upcoming movie "Hemingway & Gellhorn". Her "Paperboy" co-star Matthew McConaughey will have not just one, but two of his movies, screened at the festival as well. His other new flick is "Mud", which additionally has Reese Witherspoon in the cast ensemble.

Other confirmed movies include Robert Pattinson's "Cosmopolis", "Lawless" which lines such big stars up Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman and Jessica Chastain, and "Holly Motors" which stars Kylie Minogue and Eva Mendes. The only Hollywood big-tent pole movie that joins the lineup is the upcoming 3D animated movie, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted".

The list, however, lacks of works by female directors. "I was shocked when I found out that there were no women this year," producer/director Eleonore Dailly told The Huffington Post. "I was so happy that there seemed to be progress at the festival last year, so this year's selection is really a shame." On the reason why, she opined, "Every year, there's some worthy movie that doesn't end up in Cannes because it just isn't finished in time."

The same explanation was issued by artistic director Thierry Fremaux when there were questions on why Terrence Malick's "Burial" didn't make it to the list. "There were a lot of rumors," he said in a press conference announcing the lineup on Thursday, April 19. "It's not ready."

More than 1,700 titles were submitted for this year's consideration and 54 of them which are from 26 countries made it to the list. "A Cannes selection is a trip through the cinema and through the world," said Fremaux. "Moonrise Kingdom" will open the festival, while "Therese Desqueyroux" will be screened at the closing ceremony to pay homage to its director Claude Miller, who died on April 4 this year.

2012 Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to run from May 16 to 27. "The Artist" star Berenice Bejo is tapped to host the fest's opening and closing ceremonies. Italian director Nanni Moretti, who won Palme d'Or for "The Son's Room" in 2001, will be one of the juries. The rest of the judges are expected to be announced sometime soon.