Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" will open the 65th Festival de Cannes on Wednesday, May 16, the film festival announced Friday.
The film, which recounts a tormented and surprising story of children and adults in 1965, will play in the Grand théâtre Lumière of the Palais des Festivals. Attending will be the Jury presided over by Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti.
"Wes Anderson is one of the rising powers of American cinema, to which he brings a highly personal touch, particularly in 'Moonrise Kingdom,' which once again is a testimony to the creative freedom in which he continues to evolve," said Thierry Frémaux, the Festival’s General Delegate. " Sensitive and independent, this admirer of Fellini and Renoir is also in his own right a brilliant and inventive filmmaker."
"Moonrise Kingdom" stars Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman and was filmed on an island in New England.
Anderson directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Roman Coppola. The sound track was composed by Alexandre Desplat.
Distributed in France by Studio Canal, the film will be released there on May 16, the same day as its screening. It will be released in the U.S. on May 25.
The official selection (Competition, Un Certain regard, Out of Competition) will be announced on Thursday, April 19. The festival will run from May 16 thorugh May 27.
