US director Martin Scorsese and Australian Oscar winner and producer Cate Blanchett, the jury's president, declared open the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
The annual fair started with the screening of in competition film "Everybody knows" of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, with Spanish star Peneleope as main actress.
On the Asian films In Competition, the jury member, Chinese actor Zhang Zhen said he has a completely open mind.
"I am going to watch all of the films from the different countries and regions of Asia and try to explain our values to the other members of the Jury," he said.
This year, China's cinema is represented in the official competition by "Ash is purest white" of Jia Zhangke who was a member of the Official Selection Jury at the 67th Cannes Film Festival in May 2014.
Dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller", the undead were not there to eat human brains, but to take advantage of the world's press gathered a day ahead of the start of the Cannes Film Festival to publicise a movie, "Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation".
The animated comedy follows the adventures of a part-monster, part-human family, on a cruise holiday.
Altogether 21 films are competing for the top prize of Cannes International Film Festival which runs from May 8 to 19.
