STARS from around the world are heading to Cannes for the prestigious film festival, celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson, Jake Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson were among those walking the red carpet. The festival opened with “Ismael’s Ghosts” — a French film starring Marion Cotillard — Wednesday. As the French Riviera resort welcomes the film world for the 11-day event, here’s what to expect. 1 Seeing Nicole Kidman everywhere It’s fair to say this is Nicole Kidman’s year, with four projects, that’s TV as well as film, on show. They include one of the most hotly-anticipated films of the festival, “The Beguiled.” Directed by Sofia Coppola, the drama is set in an all-female boarding school in America’s South during the Civil War and is in competition for the top prize, the Palme d’Or. An injured enemy soldier, played by Colin Farrell, is taken in by the women, but tensions, and sexual jealousy, arise. Kidman and Farrell team up again for “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Lobster”). She plays the wife of a surgeon, Farrell, who takes in a teenage boy with catastrophic results. Her final film at Cannes is “How to Talk to Girls at Parties,” based on a Neil Gaiman short story, while she’s also in Jane Campion’s “Top of the Lake,” one of the TV picks of the festival. 2Tight security Security at this year’s Cannes is higher than ever. Which is not surprising given the recent attacks in France. A row of 400 concrete barriers disguised as giant flowerpots have been installed to stop a similar vehicle attack during the festival. Police have invested in 160 meters of spiked chains that could stop a truck and have extra forces working during the festival. In addition, there are 550 security cameras, one for every 140 inhabitants of Cannes. 3 Actors going behind the camera This year, we’ll be seeing Kristen Stewart, Robin Wright and Vanessa Redgrave step behind the camera and turn their hands to directing. “Twilight” star Kristen has made a short film called “Come Swim,” which she has described as being about a man in his 30s in the throes of “full-on heartbreak.” Robin Wright has also directed short film, “The Dark of Night,” about a woman seeking refuge from a storm in an isolated diner. And Redgrave is presenting “Sea Sorrow,” a documentary about the refugee crisis. 4Tough competition There are 19 films in contention for the coveted Palme d’Or. One of the early favorites is “Wonderstruck” by Todd Haynes, director of “Carol.” Starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams, it tells the story of a young boy and young girl — 50 years apart — whose stories intertwine. And anticipation is high for “Good Time,” a bank-robber drama starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Robert Pattinson, as well as “The Beguiled” and “Okja.” Lynne Ramsey (who directed “We Need to Talk About Kevin”) returns to the Croisette towards the end of the festival with “You Were Never Really Here,” starring Joaquin Phoenix as a war veteran trying to save a young girl from a sex trafficking ring. Then we have Austrian director Michael Haneke, who has already lifted the Palme d’Or twice, with “The White Ribbon” in 2009 and “Amour” in 2012. This year, he’s presenting “Happy End,” starring Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert, a family drama set in Cannes with the refugee crisis unfolding on its doorstep. (SD-Agencies) | 