Scarlett Johansson to star at Cannes as festival unveils line-up

Scarlett Johansson is set to star on-screen and behind the camera at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, organisers said on Thursday as they unveiled the line-up of films that will compete for honours on the French Riviera.

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Johansson will appear alongside Benicio Del Toro and Tom Hanks in Wes Anderson's new movie “The Phoenician Scheme”, one of the films competing for the coveted Palme d'Or for best film.

She will also present her directorial debut “Eleanor the Great”, about an elderly woman coping with the death of her best friend, in the secondary “Un Certain Regard” competition.

Organisers stressed they were serious about giving women filmmakers a platform at the world’s premier film festival, with pressure on its bosses to take a stand on gender equality and tackling abuse and harassment.

Speaking at a press conference in Paris, President Iris Knobloch said the festival was “attentive” to the recommendations of a hard-hitting parliamentary inquiry into #MeToo abuses which reported its findings on Wednesday. “(Women) are no longer asking for their place, they are taking it,” Knobloch said. “We are honoured to amplify their voices, to shine a light on incredible talent that broadens our view of the world,” she added.