Movies Film Festivals Cannes lineup returns with Wes Anderson, Sean Penn, record number of women-directed films Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Timothée Chalamet, more stars to lead projects heading to Cannes for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. By Joey Nolfi Joey Nolfi Entertainment Weekly's Oscars expert, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' beat reporter, host of 'Quick Drag' Twitter Spaces, and cohost of 'EW's BINGE' podcast. Almost all of the drag content on this site is my fault (you're welcome). EW's editorial guidelines Published on June 3, 2021 10:34AM EDT The Cannes Film Festival is roaring back with high-profile directors and a record number of women-directed films, all for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic decimated the global industry throughout 2020. New films by Wes Anderson (the ensemble dramedy The French Dispatch), Sean Penn (Flag Day), Leos Carax (the Adam Driver-starring musical Annette), and Paul Verhoeven (the erotic, lesbian nun thriller Benedetta) have joined the race for the festival's prestigious Palme d'Or prize as part of Cannes' 2021 main competition. Also joining them throughout the 2021 edition are a record number of films from women directors, including French filmmaker Julia Ducournau's Titane — the highly anticipated follow-up to the horror hit Raw — and Mia Hansen-Løve's Bergman Island, featuring Mia Wasikowska. New projects by Assasin's Creed helmer Justin Kurzel (Nitram), Asghar Farhadi (A Hero), and Tangerine and The Florida Project helmer's Sean Baker (Red Rocket, starring Simon Rex) will also screen in competition. Another major blockbuster premiere will be announced in the weeks ahead. Outside of the main slate, Todd Haynes' Velvet Underground documentary is set to screen at Cannes, as is Tom McCarthy's Matt Damon crime drama Stillwater. This year's jury head Spike Lee will also present actress and director Jodie Foster with the honorary Palme d'Or prize for her contributions to cinema, following in the footsteps of past recipients Jane Fonda, Agnès Varda, and more. Cannes 2021 announces its full lineup, including new films by Wes Anderson, Sean Penn, and more. Searchlight Pictures; Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images; Amazon Studios Cannes — which often launches films into the Oscar race, including recent Academy hits like Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Lee's BlacKkKlansman — was forced to cancel its 2020 edition amid the global coronavirus outbreak, with the 2021 edition marking its first full return since the beginning of the pandemic. "Cinema is not dead," the festival's artistic director, Thierry Frémaux, told Variety of the festival's return, "and the return of audiences to movie theaters around the world was the first good news. And the festival will be the second good news." The festival runs from July 6-17 in southern France. See the full Cannes 2021 lineup below. Main Competition Opening Night Film: Annette — Leos Carax Ahed's Knee — Nadav LapidBenedetta — Paul VerhoevenBergman Island — Mia Hansen-LøveCasablanca Beats — Nabil AyouchCompartment No. 6 — Juho KuosmanenDrive My Car — Ryûsuke HamaguchiEverything Went Fine — Francois OzonThe French Dispatch — Wes AndersonA Hero — Asghar FarhadiLa fracture — Catherine CorsiniLingui — Mahamat-Saleh HarounMemoria — Apichatpong WeerasethakulNitram — Justin KurzelParis, 13th District — Jacques AudiardPar un Demi Clair Matin — Bruno DumontPetrov's Flu — Kirill SerebrennikovRed Rocket — Sean BakerThe Restless — Joachim LafosseThe Story of My Wife — Ildikó EnyedThree Floors — Nanni MorettiTitane — Julia DucournauThe Worst Person in the World — Joachim TrierFlag Day — Sean Penn Un Certain Regard After Yang — KogonadaBlue Bayou — Justin ChonBonne Mère — Hafsia HerziCommitment Hasan — Hasan SemihFreda — Gessica GénéusHouse Arrest — Alexey German Jr.The Innocents — Eskil VogtLamb — Valdimar JóhanssonMoneyboys — B.C YiNoche de Fuego — Tatiana HuezoUn Monde — Laura WandelWomen Do Cry — Mina Mileva and Vesela KazakovaLa Civil — Teodora Ana MihaiUnclenching the Fists — Kira KovalenkoLet There Be Morning — Eran KolirinRehana Maryam Noor — Abdullah Mohammad Saad Cannes Premiere Hold Me Tight — Mathieu AlmaricCow — Andrea ArnoldLove Songs for Tough Guys — Samuel BenchetritDeception — Arnaud DesplechinJane Par Charlotte — Charlotte GainsbourgIn Front of Your Face — Hong Sang-sooMothering Sunday — Eva HussonEvolution — Kornel MundruczoVal — Ting Poo and Leo ScottJFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass — Oliver Stone Out of Competition De Son Vivant — Emmanuelle BercotEmergency Declaration — Han Jae-rimThe Velvet Underground — Todd HaynesBac Nord — Cedric JimenezAline, the Voice of Love — Valerie LemercierStillwater — Tom McCarthy Midnight Screening: Bloody Oranges — Jean-Christophe Meurisse Special Screenings Mariner of the Mountains — Karim AinouzBlack Notebooks — Shlomi ElkabetzBabi Yar. Context — Sergei LoznitsaH6 — Ye YeThe Year of the Everlasting Storm — Jafar Panahi, Anthony Chen, Malik Vitthal, Laura Poitras, Domingo Sotomayor, David Lowery, Apichatpong Weerasethakul Hear more on all of today's must-see picks, plus Nico Santos on an LGBTQ movie everyone should watch, in EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall. Related content: Hear Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard on first single from Cannes-opening musical Annette Lesbian nuns run wild in NSFW trailer for Paul Verhoeven's erotic thriller Benedetta Cannes Film Festival revived with special 2020 event after coronavirus postponement