CANNES, France (Reuters) – The Cannes film festival is buzzing this year with a string of hit movies in the official lineup, a procession of stars on the red carpet and plenty of eagerly awaited titles still to come.

The unseasonably cold, wet weather has done little to dampen spirits among the famously picky critics and journalists on the French Riviera to interview, photograph and film everyone from A-list celebrities to obscure auteur directors.

CANNES, France (Reuters) – The Cannes film festival is a world way from the tough streets of east London where British rapper Ben Drew grew up, but the 28-year-old has come to the glamorous Riviera resort to promote his debut movie “Ill Manors”.

The hard-hitting drama follows six interweaving lives — junkie, drug dealer, ex-con, gangster, prostitute and central character Aaron, a kind of moral compass amid the violence, fear and abuse around him.

LONDON (Reuters) – Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb, who with brothers Barry and Maurice helped define the disco era with their falsetto harmonies and funky beats, has died. He was 62.

The singer had been battling colon and liver cancer and, despite brief improvements in his health in recent months, passed away on Sunday evening.

CANNES, France (Reuters) – Danish director Thomas Vinterberg burst on to the scene in Cannes in 1998 with the acclaimed “Festen”, and critics say he is close to his best again this year with “The Hunt”, a shocking take on child abuse and its impact on a small community.

Unlike some movies on the same theme, The Hunt leaves no doubt as to the main character’s innocence.

CANNES, France (Reuters) – In a bumper year for U.S. productions in Cannes, director John Hillcoat, presenting prohibition-era drama “Lawless” at the film festival on Saturday, said the state of smaller-budget American movies was “distressing”.

Lawless is in fact an international production – Hillcoat and two of his leading cast are Australian, as is scriptwriter and musician Nick Cave.

CANNES, France (Reuters) – The joke is on Europe, and in particular France, with the third animated “Madagascar” adventure, which has its world premiere at the Cannes film festival on Friday bringing big names in comedy to the red carpet.

“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted”, from DreamWorks Animation, is the first installment in the franchise to be shot in 3D, and studio bosses will be hoping it can match the box office magic of its predecessors.

LONDON (Reuters) – A seventh century gospel discovered in a saint’s coffin more than 900 years ago, and the oldest European book to survive fully intact, has been acquired by the British Library for nine million pounds ($14 million), the library said on Tuesday.

The manuscript copy of the Gospel of St. John called the St. Cuthbert Gospel was produced in the northeast of England in the late 7th century and was placed in the saint’s coffin on the island of Lindisfarne, probably in 698.

CANNES, France, May 17 (Reuters) – It is only day two, but
the Cannes film festival has already uncovered a breakout star
in Belgian Matthias Schoenaerts, who has earned critical acclaim
and plenty of swoons for his portrayal of tough guy Ali in
French drama “Rust and Bone”.

Schoenaerts is not new to the big screen — he has appeared
in more than 20 films including “Bullhead”, nominated for a
foreign language film Academy Award earlier this year.

LONDON (Reuters) – A seventh century gospel discovered in a saint’s coffin more than 900 years ago, and the oldest European book to survive fully intact, has been acquired by the British Library for nine million pounds, the library said on Tuesday.

The manuscript copy of the Gospel of St. John called the St. Cuthbert Gospel was produced in the northeast of England in the late 7th century and was placed in the saint’s coffin on the island of Lindisfarne, probably in 698.

CANNES, France (Reuters) – The absence of female directors from the 22-strong competition in Cannes this year is a “great pity”, but reflects a global problem rather than sexism specific to the world’s biggest film festival, jury member Andrea Arnold said on Wednesday.

The British film maker, who has won acclaim in Cannes for “Red Road” and “Fish Tank”, is one of nine jurors who will decide which movie wins the coveted Palme d’Or for best picture at the end of this year’s festival.