The Cannes Film Festival, now in its 72nd year, opens yesterday with US director Jim Jarmusch’s comedy-horror, The Dead Don’t Die.

Bill Murray fighting off zombies will no doubt prove one of the festival highlights, along with an Elton John biopic telling the story of the singer’s early days and Quentin Tarantino’s hotly anticipated outing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, starring Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie.

Looking ahead to some of the expected red-carpet action, Scott Roxborough, European bureau chief at the Hollywood Reporter told Reuters: “I mean we are opening with The Dead Don’t Die and that’s just packed with stars – Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Iggy Pop. Iggy Pop is going to be on the red carpet in Cannes, that’s very exciting for me.

The prestigious Palme d’Or trophy, awarded to the best film of the festival, is made by Swiss luxury jewellery house Chopard in 24-carat gold and pays tribute to the coat of arms of the city of Cannes.

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar – who presided over the jury at Cannes two years ago, a spot handed this year to Mexico’s Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – will also be in contention for the top award with Pain and Glory.

The movie, which reunites actors Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, tracks the travails of a filmmaker.

Britain’s Ken Loach, 82, who won the Palme D’Or in 2016 with I, Daniel Blake, returns with Sorry We Missed You.

Netflix movies will again be notably absent from Cannes. While the Venice Film Festival embraced Roma, the Alfonso Cuaron film for which Netflix acquired distribution rights and which went on to earn an Oscar for best director, competition rules at Cannes dictate that movies cannot be streamed for three years after a cinema release.