CANNES, France (Reuters)

The Cannes Film Festival will roll out its red carpet on Tuesday with Tom Cruise, Pedro Pascal and Scarlett Johansson among the stars expected at the 78th incarnation of cinema’s biggest showcase.

Below are some facts about the event and this year’s contenders.

• How did it begin?

Cannes is the world’s biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to Venice’s film extravaganza which was then under the sway of the ruling fascists.

It has been held every year since 1946, apart from 1948 and 1950 when it was cancelled due to lack of funds.

Since then, many of the films showcased there have gone on to Oscar glory. Appearances at the French Riviera resort town have also helped launch the careers of many directors, among them Quentin Tarantino.

Running alongside is the world’s biggest film market, drawing more than 15,000 film industry professionals annually.

• Which films are competing?

This year’s 22 contenders for the top Palme d’Or prize are:

“The Phoenician Scheme,” directed by Wes Anderson

“Eddington,” Ari Aster

“Resurrection”, Bi Gan

“Jeunes Meres” (The Young Mother’s Home), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

“Alpha,” Julia Ducournau

“Renoir,” Hayakawa Chie

“The History Of Sound,” Oliver Hermanus

“La Petite Derniere,” Hafsia Herzi

“Sirat,” Oliver Laxe

“Nouvelle Vague,” Richard Linklater

“Two Prosecutors,” Sergei Loznitsa

“Fuori,” Mario Martone

“O Agente Secreto” (The Secret Agent), Kleber Mendonca Filho

“Case 137” (Dossier 137), Dominik Moll

“It Was Just An Accident,” Jafar Panahi

“Die My Love,” Lynne Ramsay

“The Mastermind,” Kelly Reichardt

“Zan O Bacheh” (Woman And Child), Saeed Roustaee

“Eagles Of The Republic,” Tarik Saleh

“Sound Of Falling,” Mascha Schilinski

“Romeria,” Carla Simon

“Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier

Other awards include the Grand Prix, jury prize, best director, best actor, best actress, best screenplay and best short film.

• Which other top names will be there?

Film legend Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement at the opening ceremony.

Films screening out of competition include the new “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” starring Tom Cruise, as well as Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest”, which will bring Denzel Washington to the festival’s red carpet for the first time.

Star actors Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and Harris Dickinson are all trying their hands as directors with films competing in the smaller categories.

Everything kicks off this year with French-language comedy “Leave One Day” by director Amelie Bonnin as the opening film.

• Who has won in the past?

Past Palme d’Or winners include Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver”, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now”, Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite”.

Last year’s winner, “Anora,” about a New York sex worker who gets a chance at a new life when she marries a wealthy Russian client, went on to sweep the Oscars, taking home five Academy Awards, including the coveted best picture prize.

Only three female directors, Jane Campion, Julia Ducournau and Justine Triet, have won the top prize – for “The Piano,” “Titane” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” respectively – and only nine directors have won it twice.