The 66th Cannes Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday with Baz Luhrmann’s 3-D spectacle “The Great Gatsby” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Other high-profile directors unveiling their new films include Steven Soderbergh (“Behind the Candelabra”), Roman Polanski (“Venus in Fur”), Asghar Farhadi (“The Past”) and brothers Ethan and Joel Coen (“Inside Llewyn Davis”).
So how does Asia fare in this year’s lineup? Not bad, as it turns out. Big-name filmmakers such as Japan’s Takashi Miike, Jia Zhangke of China and Hong Kong’s Johnnie To will hit the red carpet with their latest films, along with first-time directors from India, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In addition, this year’s jury, which is headed by Steven Spielberg, includes three high-profile members from Asia: Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, Indian actress Vidya Balan and Japanese director Naomi Kawase.
Here’s a quick look at what Asian filmmakers have on tap for this year’s festival, which runs through May 26.
OFFICIAL SELECTION (COMPETITION)
“Like Father, Like Son” (Japan)
Hirokazu Koreeda’s heartbreaker begins when a father learns that his son was accidentally switched with another baby at the hospital where they were both born, and that he has been raising another man’s child for the past six years. This is the director’s fourth film to be screened at Cannes and the third in the festival’s main competition.
“Shield of Straw” (Japan)
Here’s a premise that would guarantee a jolt while reading the morning news: A billionaire places notices in papers offering a one-billion-yen bounty for a man he says murdered his granddaughter. Director Takashi Miike, known for his offbeat and violent-themed films, makes his third appearance at Cannes and his second in competition.
“A Touch of Sin” (China)
Jia Zhangke takes a harsh look at the social problems facing the world’s second-largest economy, and at how the widening gap between rich and poor, endemic corruption and displaced lives has brought on a wave of violent reactions from the less fortunate. Mr. Jia previously explored the complexities of modern China in “Still Life” and “24 City,” but never in such stark images. This is his fourth film at Cannes and the third in competition.
OFFICIAL SELECTION (UN CERTAIN REGARD)
“Bends” (Hong Kong)
First-time director Flora Lau teams with veteran cinematographer Christopher Doyle for this topical story about two disparate people — a wealthy Hong Kong woman and her mainland chauffer — to explore the sometimes-fraught relationship between China and Hong Kong.
“Death March” (Philippines)
Prolific indie director Adolfo Alix Jr.’s World War II drama is about how Philippine and U.S. soldiers are forced to endure brutal conditions at the mercy of the Japanese army, and their downward spiral amid death, disease and starvation.
“The Missing Picture” (Cambodia)
Documentary filmmaker Rithy Panh, who explored the legacy of a Phnom Penh high school that was turned into a torture chamber in “S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine” (2003), takes another look at Cambodia’s harrowing genocidal history.
“Norte, the End of History” (Philippines)
The festival describes indie director Lav Diaz’s four-hour long drama about a man who’s been unjustly imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit as a look at the “never-ending cycle of betrayal and apathy” in the Philippines.
OFFICIAL SELECTION (OUT OF COMPETITION)
“Blind Detective” (Hong Kong)
Johnnie To unites the star power of Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng in this thriller about a gifted — and blind — private eye who comes to the aid of a woman trying to unravel the mysterious disappearance of her friend 10 years earlier.
“Monsoon Shootout” (India)
Amit Kumar’s debut feature is a philosophical tale about a cop who — on first day on the job — confronts a life-or-death decision, with three separate outcomes playing out as he chases a criminal on the rain-swept streets of Mumbai.
OFFICIAL SELECTION (SPECIAL SCREENINGS)
“Bombay Talkies” (India)
A quartet of filmmakers — Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap — team up for this four-part feature-length film that celebrates 100 years of Bollywood.
DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT
“Ilo Ilo” (Singapore)
Set in the late 1990s, Anthony Chen’s first feature looks at the relationship between a Singaporean boy and his family’s Filipina housekeeper.
“On the Job” (Philippines)
Director Erik Matti’s film focuses on four men — two duos on opposite sides of the law — and the impact of their actions on their families.
“Ugly” (India)
In addition to his short film in “Bombay Talkies,” Anurag Kashyap will premiere his feature about the young daughter of divorced parents who goes missing.
“Taipei Factory” (Taiwan)
This omnibus brings together a quartet of young Taiwan directors and four foreign directors (from Chile, France, Iran and South Korea) to collaborate on four short films set in Taipei. The goal of this special project is to exchange life experiences and foster new talent in Taiwan and around the world.