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We’re packing for Cannes as I write this—four different dinner jackets, half a dozen white pique formal shirts, studs, cufflinks and the works—for nearly 12 nights of black tie (though some of the nights, Daniel [Benedict] and I steal away from the Croisette, and head to our favorite Cote d’Azur restaurants, La Colombe D’Or and Tetou). The Cannes Film Festival is a glamorous whirlwind of brilliant and enlightening cinema, with celebrations going until 5 AM nightly. And I’m not nearly rested enough, coming off of our New York premieres of Captain America, Maggie’s Plan and more! But I can’t wait to see the brilliant choices of Cannes masterminds Thierry Fremaux and Pierre Lescure—I’ve heard that they watched nearly 1,900 films (1,900!) to select 49. Of the 49, here are the ones I’m hoping to see…

See also

Kicking Into High Gear with Time Lapse

#1. Cafe Society

Courtesy: Lionsgate

The festival’s opening film follows a young man (Jesse Eisenberg) seeking stardom in 1930s Hollywood.

#2. Money Monster

Courtesy: Tristar Pictures

 Julia Roberts plays Patty Fenn, the producer of a financial TV show starring Lee Gates (George Clooney) that is hijacked by a viewer (Jack O’Connell) who lost his life savings after taking a tip from Lee. Jodie Foster directs.

#3. The BFG

Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture

 Steven Spielberg’s latest stars Mark Rylance, fresh off his Oscar win, as Roald Dahl’s BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who recruits young Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) to help him save the world.

$4. Hands of Stone

Courtesy: The Weinstein Company

 Édgar Ramírez plays iconic Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán and Robert de Niro his trainer, Ray Arcel, in this film documenting Ramírez’s rivalry with Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond).

#5. The Last Face

Courtesy: Rive Road Entertainment

 Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem play aid workers who fall in love while operating in war-ravaged Liberia in Sean Penn’s latest directing endeavor since 2007’s Into the Wild.

#6. Loving

Courtesy: Focus Features

 Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton play Mildred and Richard Loving, a couple jailed for their interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia. The Mike Nichols film is based on the 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia.

#7. Julieta

Courtesy: Warner Bros.

The latest from Pedro Almodóvar follows recently-widowed Julieta (Emma Suárez) as she attempts to reconnect with her 18-year-old daughter.

#8. The Neon Demon

Courtesy: Amazon Studios

 The latest from Nicolas Winding Refn sees wannabe model Jesse (Elle Fanning) move to LA, where she is attacked by a group of women intent on stealing her beauty and success.

#9. Personal Shopper

Courtesy: Les Films Du Losange

 Kristen Stewart returns to the world of the supernatural as a personal shopper caught up in the haunting of the Paris fashion world.

#10. The Unknown Girl

Courtesy: Cinéart

 A doctor seeks to determine the identity of a woman who died after refusing medical care.

#11. Elle

Courtesy: SBS Distribution

 After she’s attacked in her home, successful businesswoman Michèle becomes obsessed with determining the identity of her attacker and bringing him down.