By Matt Patches, Hollywood.com Staff

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off its 65th year on May 16, is the unspoken starting line for 2012's lengthy awards season race. Most of the films that attend have been produced outside of Hollywood, only to be brought into the fold by studios antsy for a end-of-the-year Oscar contender. Over the course of eleven days, buyers from studios and production companies all over the world will gather at the French fest to watch movies, lay down dollars and hope they walk away with big names, big stars and big titles to put in theaters for us average moviegoer to check out down the road. Lots of pressure for those at the fest, lots of rewards for film fans.

Below if the official line-up of films playing Cannes 2012, and you can keep checking back over the next week and a half for updates on who picked them up and when they might be making their way to a theater near you!

In Competition:

Rust and Bone - dir. Jacques Audiard

The Marion Cotillard romantic drama has been acquired by several companies, but so far, no American distributors.Moonrise Kingdom - dir. Wes Anderson

Focus Features will release the film on May 25th. You can watch the trailer here!Holy Motors - dir. Leos CaraxCosmopolis - dir. David Cronenberg

Robert Pattinson's collaboration with delightfully wild Cronenberg has been picked by EOne for release this year. Watch the trailer here!The Paperboy - dir. Lee Daniels

The Zac Efron/Nicole Kidman pairing has yet to find a home, but we have seen a few choice pics.Killing Them Softly - dir. Andrew Dominik

Formerly titled Cogan's Trade, the Brad Pitt drama is set to be released by The Weinstein Company on September 21, 2012.Reality - dir. Matteo GarroneLove - dir. Michael Haneke

Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the filmmaker's follow up to the Oscar-nominated The White Ribbon. Here's the first trailer:

Lawless - dir. John Hillcoat

The Shia Labeouf/Tom Hardy period drama will be released by Weinstein Company on August 31. Watch the full trailer here!In Another Country - dir. Hong Sang SoThe Taste of Money - dir. Im Sang SoLike Someone In Love - dir. Abbas KiarostamiThe Angels' Share - dir. Ken LoachIn The Fog - dir. Sergei LoznitsaBeyond The Hills - dir. Cristian MungiuBaad el Mawkeaaa (Apres La Bataille) - dir. Yousry NasrallahMud - dir. Jeff Nichols

The Matthew McConaughey-starrer is currently without distribution. See the first clip from the movie below:

You Haven't Seen Anything Yet - dir. Alan ResnaisPost Tenebras Lux - dir. Carlos ReygadasOn The Road - dir. Walter Salles

The long-gestating adaptation starring Kirsten Stewart and Garrett Hedlund will be distributed by Sundance Selects. Watch the trailer here!Paradise: Love - dir. Ulrich SeidlThe Hunt - dir. Thomas Vinterberg

Mads Mikkelsen stars in the drama that has yet to find distribution. Watch the first clip from the film below:

Un Certain Regard:

La Playa - dir. Juan Andres ArangoMiss Lovely - dir. Achim AhluwaliaGod's Horses - dir. Nabel AyouchAntiviral - dir. Brandon CronenbergTrois Mondes - dir. Catherine Corsini 7 Days In Havana - dir. Benicio Del Toro, Gaspar Noe, Laurence CantatLaurence Anyways - dir. Xavier DolanLe Grand Soir - dir. Benoit Delepine and Gustave KervernAimer A Perdre La Raison - dir. Joachim LaFosseDespués De Lucia - dir. Michel FrancoMystery - dir. Lou YeStudent - dir. Darezhan OmirbayevLa Pirogue - dir. Moussa ToureConfession Of A Child Of The Century - dir. Sylvie VerheydeThe White Elephant - dir. Pablo Trapero11:25 The Day He Chose His Own Fate - dir. Koje WakamatsuBeasts Of The Southern Wild - dir. Benh Zeitlin

The Sundance breakout was picked up by Fox Searchlight in January and will hit theaters June 27, 2012. Watch the first trailer here!

Out of Competition:

Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir - dir. Laurent BouzereauThe Central Park Five - dir. Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahonGarbage In The Garden Of Eden - dir. Faith AkinLes Invisbles - dir. Sebastien LifschitzJournal De France - dir. Claudine Nougaret and Raymond DepardonDracula 3D - dir. Dario ArgentoThe Legend Of Love and Sincerity - dir. Takashi MilkeMekong Hotel - dir. Apichatpong WeerasethakulVillegas - dir. Gonzalo TobakA Musica Segundo Tom Jobim - dir. Nelson Pereira Dos Santos

Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches

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