Iranian Director Farhadi's Film To Open Cannes Festival

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (file photo)

The Cannes film festival will open next month with Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's new film Everybody Knows.

Organizers announced on April 5 that the psychological thriller shot in Spanish and starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem will open the May 8-19 event.

The film will also compete for the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize.

The movie explores family intrigues and the moral dilemmas of a woman whose life is turned upside down when she returns from Argentina to her native village in Spain with her husband and children.

Farhadi, 45, is one Iran's most renowned directors. Two of his movies, The Salesman and A Separation won Oscars for best foreign-language films.

In 2012, A Separation won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival -- the Golden Bear for best picture.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa