The Cannes Film Festival never has a shortage of women.

Since its inception in the 1940s, the event has been famous for screen beauties in flowing dresses on the red carpet and at various beach parties.

But in 2012, the main Palme d'Or competition lineup features a sum total of zero films from female directors.

Three years after the Oscars finally saw fit to give a woman the 'Best Director' gong, it seems sad that Cannes didn't feel a single female-directed feature was worthy of its 22-film main competition.

Last year saw movies from Maïwenn, Naomi Kawase, Lynne Ramsay and Julia Leigh up for the Palme d'Or - though there's a pretty strong argument that the latter's Sleeping Beauty was the most misogynistic and exploitative picture there.

Diane Kruger, Andrea Arnold and Emmanuelle Devos are on the jury for this year's Palme d'Or, and they've obviously been quizzed on the matter.

Every Friday, Digital Spy lists five of the best video highlights over the past week in film.

This week we have an exclusive clip from laugher The Dictator, a special feature for the hyped sci-fi prequel Prometheus, Channing Tatum getting naked in a trailer for Magic Mike, a quick chat with Julie Delpy and Chris Rock, and Battleship's Peter Berg getting political with an interviewer.

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'The Dictator': Sacha Baron Cohen makes 9/11 helicopter gag
Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) doesn't know his American culture quite as well as he thinks he does in this hilarious clip.

The Cannes Film Festival kicks off today (May 16) with the premiere of Wes Anderson's latest Moonrise Kingdom. Twilight fever will also hit the Croisette during the festival, as Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart bring Cosmopolis and On the Road to the south of France.

With an exciting and varied Cannes slate that includes the likes of Dracula 3D and the new Ken Loach release Angels' Share, Digital Spy counts down the top 10 picks for the festival.

10. Dracula 3D
Who's involved: Dario Argento, Rutger Hauer, Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann
What's it about: A 3D re-telling of Bram Stoker's Dracula from B-movie director Dario Argento.
Why it matters: Cannes might be seen as the festival that launches classy and challenging dramas, but there's also room for a cult movie or two in the lineup. Dario Argento's spin on Dracula casts Thomas Kretschmann as the titular vampire and Blade Runner legend Rutger Hauer as Van Helsing... all in blood-splattered 3D! Count us in.

Fifty Shades of Grey is all the rage in Hollywood at the moment. The erotica novel by British author EL James sparked a bidding war between film studios in March, with Universal and Focus Features ultimately paying a hefty $3 million (£1.9m) for the movie rights.

Based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey re-imagines Bella Swan as the 21-year-old Anastasia Steele. Though she's beautiful, with big blue eyes and gorgeous brown tresses, Ana's never met a man who's really captured her heart. Until she meets the inimitable Christian Grey, that is.

At 27, Christian is the painfully handsome CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc... the only catch is he has a secret proclivity for BDSM. He ultimately proposes a contract, in which Ana becomes his sexual submissive or "sub", obedient to his every whim. Digital Spy picks out a fantasy cast for the forthcoming adaptation of James's erotic novel below...

Michael Fassbender as Christian Grey
While actors like Ian Somerhalder and Alexander Skarsgård have expressed interest in the titular role, we think the dapper Michael Fassbender would be perfect as the businessman with a penchant for BDSM. He's got the right looks and temperament for Christian, and he's not shy about nudity (see Shame and this SAS commercial).

Sure he's a bit older than Christian, but so are Somerhalder and Skarsgård. Plus, if you've seen Fassbender in interviews, you know he can be playful as well as serious, which is key for the role of Christian. We need to believe that he has both a good side and a dark side, and only Fassbender can adequately bring that struggle to life for us.


Emilia Clarke as Anastasia Steele
The British actress has been in little else aside from Game of Thrones (though she was in the wonderful SyFy channel original movie Triassic Attack), but we think her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen makes her a great contender for Ana. As Daenerys, we saw Clarke evolve from a vulnerable princess into a powerful khaleesi, and that ability to play both the virginal young flower and the steely-eyed warrior will be put to good use with the emotionally volatile Ana.

With her naturally dark hair and bright blue eyes, she resembles James's description of Ana, and thanks to her role on Game of Thrones, Clarke shouldn't be shy about getting naked either.


Jennifer Lawrence as Katherine Kavanagh
Blake Lively is a popular choice for the role of Kate, Ana's sexy blonde roommate, but we prefer Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence. As an aspiring journalist, Kate's not just a pretty face; she's a blunt and sassy young woman with a fear of no-one.

Though Lively certainly has the looks, we feel that Lawrence is the whole package. After all, as Ana's best friend, it's up to Kate to stand up to Christian when she thinks Ana's in trouble. And who wants Serena van der Woodsen when you could have Katniss Everdeen? Now, there's a girl who could face off against Christian Grey.



Joseph Morgan as Elliot Grey
Joseph Morgan does an amazing job making the evil Klaus a fun-loving villain on The Vampire Diaries, so we'd like to see him take on the part of Elliot Grey, Christian's adopted older brother. Granted, Elliot's not as diabolical as Klaus (in fact, he's a pretty good guy), but they both share a love of blonde ladies and have a softer side they keep hidden from the world.

While some would argue that Morgan looks much too young to play Fassbender's older brother, we like the idea that the worldly Christian has been aged by his dark sexual obsessions, whereas the more good-natured Elliot stills appears boyish. Also, we'd really love to see Morgan and Fassbender reunited from their days on the short-lived series Hex. As brothers, no less!



Jesse Williams as Jose Rodriguez
We were tempted to choose Michael Trevino for the part of Ana's friend Jose, but there's already one Vampire Diaries cast member on this list, so we went with Grey's Anatomy's Jesse Williams instead. Jose is the ideal guy for Ana - or any girl really. He's sweet, caring, and smart. But he's too safe, too predictable. There's no danger. Ana doesn't feel the passion she craves with Jose. That's why he'll always be just a friend to her.

Apart from being absolutely gorgeous, Williams has that nice guy vibe that makes him a good pick for Jose. And his eyes are perfect for the lovelorn puppy dog look that he will likely sport for the entire movie. Just watch him pine after Kristen Connolly in The Cabin in the Woods and you'll see what we mean.



Who would you like to see in Fifty Shades of Grey? Post a comment below.

Every Friday, Digital Spy lists five of the best video highlights over the past week in film.

This week we have the trailer for Ryan Gosling's The Gangster Squad and Ben Affleck's Argo serving up true stories, a Friends With Kids promo with the Bridesmaids cast, a clip from acclaimed actioner The Raid, and Admiral General Aladeen from The Dictator stopping by Saturday Night Live.

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'The Gangster Squad' trailer: Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin and Emma Stone star in this upcoming crime flick
Based on a true story, this period piece looks to have some real fun with the setting. From the increasingly versatile Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), Gangster Squad has an all-star cast, a real visual flair and an exciting story to tell. A small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders come together to take down one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.

Now that we have seen The Avengers 15 times, we can't be the only ones thinking about the other stuff that's going on in the Marvel Universe.

It seems Sony has been thinking that too, and released another trailer for Andrew Garfield's rebooted and suited The Amazing Spider-Man today. Before the film swings into theatres on July 4, we thought we'd take a closer look and pick out our ten best bits.

> 'Amazing Spider-Man' trailer: Peter Parker battles The Lizard

Every Friday, Digital Spy lists five of the best video highlights over the past week in film.

This week, we have hot new trailers for The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises and Prometheus, as well as a Fast Girls on-set visit. Continue below to also discover which American Pie characters the cast loves the most.

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'Amazing Spider-Man' trailer: Peter Parker battles The Lizard
Another trailer for the upcoming superhero reboot has hit the internet - and this one looks darn awesome. The promo includes brief glimpses of Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker battling The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) as well as some great shots of Spider-Man web-slinging across a wonderfully-lit night-time New York.

Avengers fever has gripped the globe, with Joss Whedon's superhero blockbuster toppling box office records the world over.

Marvel Studios has been prolific in recent years, adapting its comic properties for the big screen one by one, but it isn't done yet. Confirmed follow-ups to Iron Man, Thor and Captain America are sure to culminate in an Avengers sequel a few years from now.

Digital Spy takes a look at five potential directions for the next Avengers film.

Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet
As anyone who has already seen The Avengers will know, the villain Thanos crops up in the post-credits sequence, dropping a strong hint that he will serve as antagonist in at least one future Marvel film. Given that the Mad Titan has appeared across decades of Marvel continuity, there's plenty of scope for him to feature in the Avengers follow-up.

A brief glimpse at his Infinity Gauntlet in Thor suggests that we could be in for an adaptation of the Avengers and the Infinity Gauntlet miniseries, featuring the movie's roster of characters. Perhaps the next slate of Marvel films will revolve around the six Infinity Gems that fuel the all-powerful artefact.

The London 2012 Olympics is just around the corner, and Digital Spy wants to know which sports movie is your all-time favourite.

Cinema and sport have shared a fruitful relationship over the years, with films like Rocky, Chariots of Fire and Bend it Like Beckham becoming box office hits and firm audience favourites.

Whether it's a US-produced movie like Moneyball or Cool Runnings, or a Brit classic like Michael Caine's Escape to Victory, there's something for everyone when it comes to sport on the silver screen.




Let us know your favourite sports movie in the Facebook comments below. Later in the year, we'll launch a poll using your suggestions with the aim of finding Britain's favourite sports movie.