Level 1 — Absolute Beginner

The Cannes Film Festival has started. It is in France. It happens by the sea every year in May.

Many famous actors are there. Demi Moore is there. She wears nice clothes on the red carpet.

A famous director from Korea is the leader. His name is Park Chan-wook. He and his friends will pick the best film.

The winner gets a special prize. It is called the Palme d'Or. The name means Golden Palm in French.

festival

A big event where people come together to celebrate something.

film

Another word for 'movie'.

actor

A person who plays a role in a movie or play.

director

The person who is the boss of making a film.

jury

A group of people who pick the winner of a contest.

red carpet

A long red rug stars walk on at big events.

prize

A gift you win when you do something great.

France

The European country where Cannes is.

Level 2 — Elementary

The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened on Tuesday, May 12, in the city of Cannes on the south coast of France. The festival lasts 12 days and ends on May 23. It is one of the most important film events in the world.

This year's jury is led by Park Chan-wook, the South Korean director famous for movies like "Oldboy" and "The Handmaiden." Joining him on the jury are actress Demi Moore, Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard, and Irish actress Ruth Negga.

Twenty-one films will compete for the top prize, the Palme d'Or. People are talking about two films in particular. One is "Die, My Love" by Scottish director Lynne Ramsay, with Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. The other is Wes Anderson's spy comedy "The Phoenician Scheme."

Outside the cinemas, the famous Croisette boulevard is full of fans, photographers and security. Hotels are completely booked, and the south of France is busy with film business, parties and red carpets every night until the closing ceremony.

Riviera

The coastal region in southeast France known for beaches and resorts.

jury

A small group of people chosen to judge a competition.

preside

To lead or be in charge of an event or meeting.

Palme d'Or

The top prize at Cannes; the words mean 'Golden Palm' in French.

compete

To try to win against others.

ceremony

A formal event with set actions, like opening or closing a festival.

Croisette

The famous beachfront boulevard in Cannes.

premiere

The very first showing of a new film.

Level 3 — Intermediate

The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened on the French Riviera on Tuesday, with South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook presiding over an international jury that includes American actress Demi Moore, Swedish veteran Stellan Skarsgard, Irish actress Ruth Negga, and several European directors. The festival, which began in 1946, runs through May 23 along the Boulevard de la Croisette.

Twenty-one films have been selected for the main competition, vying for the Palme d'Or. Early word from the Riviera centers on Lynne Ramsay's "Die, My Love," starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, and Wes Anderson's espionage comedy "The Phoenician Scheme," with Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera. Returning festival favorites include Mexican director Carlos Reygadas and Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustaee.

Beyond the competition slate, Cannes once again doubles as a global film market. Distributors, streamers and sales agents are descending on the city to pre-buy unfinished projects, while production companies announce new packages designed to grab industry attention during the 12 festival days. The Marché du Film expects more than 14,000 accredited buyers this year.

Security around the Palais des Festivals has been tightened, partly in response to a recent terror investigation in Paris and partly because of larger crowds drawn by an increasingly star-heavy lineup. The opening ceremony was hosted by French actress Laure Calamy, and an honorary Palme d'Or will be presented to filmmaker Werner Herzog later in the week.

auteur

A director with a strong personal style across their films.

preside

To lead a group or formal proceeding.

competition slate

The set list of films chosen to compete at a festival.

Marché du Film

Cannes's parallel film-industry market for buying and selling rights.

distributor

A company that brings films to cinemas or streaming platforms.

espionage

Spying — secretly gathering information for political or military use.

package

A film project bundled with director, cast and financing to attract buyers.

honorary

Given as an honor rather than won through competition.

Level 4 — Advanced

The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival unfurled along the Boulevard de la Croisette on Tuesday evening, opening twelve days of premieres, dealmaking and red-carpet pageantry that will culminate in the awarding of the Palme d'Or on May 23. Presiding over the international jury is South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook, whose violent, baroque dramas "Oldboy," "The Handmaiden" and "Decision to Leave" have made him one of the festival's most decorated returnees; he is joined by Demi Moore, Stellan Skarsgard, Ruth Negga and a slate of directors, novelists and producers from Argentina, Mali, France and the Czech Republic.

Twenty-one features have been admitted to the main competition, with early Riviera scuttlebutt fixating on two anchor titles: Lynne Ramsay's psychological adaptation of Ariana Harwicz's novel "Die, My Love," pairing Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson under an unsparing matrescence lens, and Wes Anderson's espionage farce "The Phoenician Scheme," carrying Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton into the director's diorama-precise tradecraft. Returning Palme laureates Carlos Reygadas and Cristian Mungiu round out a slate that festival selectors describe as the most globally distributed in recent memory.

Cannes's parallel commercial heart, the Marché du Film, opens alongside the screenings and is on track to credential more than 14,000 buyers, distributors, agents and packagers from upward of 130 countries. The market has rebounded sharply from the streaming-era contraction, with mid-budget specialty titles, AI-licensing rights and library acquisitions driving the bulk of dealflow. Several majors have already used the first day to announce new auteur-led packages aimed at the 2027 awards season.

Security around the Palais has been visibly heightened, partly a response to last week's terror-conspiracy charges in Paris and partly a reflection of the festival's growing scale: drone exclusion zones, magnetometers at every event perimeter, and a beefed-up RAID tactical presence near the steps. The opening ceremony was hosted by Laure Calamy and featured a tribute to the late Anouk Aimée; Werner Herzog will receive an honorary Palme d'Or mid-festival, while Spike Lee's competition entry and an out-of-competition Pixar premiere are likely to provide the festival's marquee social moments before the closing weekend.

pageantry

Elaborate, ceremonial display, often with costumes and rituals.

scuttlebutt

Informal talk or gossip, especially industry chatter.

matrescence

The psychological and social transition into motherhood.

diorama-precise

Composed with the meticulous, miniature-like care of a museum diorama.

laureate

A person who has been awarded a major prize or honor.

dealflow

The volume of business transactions moving through a market in a given period.