“Mud” to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival

Walter Salles’ On the Road, Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy and Michael Haneke’s Amour will join Rust and Bone by Jacques Audiard and David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis for a trip to the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival.

Also screening in the competition are Holy Motors by Leos Carax, The Angels’ Share by Ken Loach, John Hillcoat’s Lawless, which stars Shia LaBoeuf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman alongside Jessica Chastain in a Prohibition-era drama, and more U.S. titles such as Jeff Nichols’ Mud and Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt and Ray Liotta. All in all, U.S. filmmakers will have a strong presence on the Croisette this year.

President Gilles Jacob and artistic director Thierry Fremaux announced the official selection for the May 16-27 festival at a press conference in Paris late Thursday morning.

While the 2011 competition lineup was light on U.S. directors and star power, the Cannes team certainly made up for it this year. “American cinema has come back relatively en force,” Fremaux said.

Pitt, Robert Pattinson, Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard and Matthew McConaughey — who both have multiple projects in Cannes — will add glam to the fest as they make their way down the world’s most famous cinema catwalk.

Reese Witherspoon & Charlize Theron Have a Ladies-Only Night Out



Charlize Theron took a break from new mommy duties on Thursday night to catch up with her pregnant pal Reese Witherspoon.

The Academy Award-winning actresses took in some girl talk over dinner at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, where the two "genuinely [appeared] to have fun with one another," an onlooker tells PEOPLE, adding that Theron sipped on wine, while expectant Witherspoon drank sparkling water.

Theron, who sported a white blazer and jeans with her hair pulled back, was all smiles, according to the source, who says Witherspoon was glowing in a casual short dress.

After greeting friends who approached the ladies' table throughout their meal, Theron and Witherspoon called it a night around 10:20 p.m. and headed to pick up their cars from the valet.