The real game has been officially on since the opening of the 65th Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera and the screening of three movies vying for the coveted Palme d'Or in the first two days of the world's top movie showcase.

Cannes film festival kicks off, gathers stars

On Thursday "Rust and Bone" (De rouille et d'os) by French director Jacques Audiard and "After the Battle""(Baad el Mawkeaa) by Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah met with journalists and fans, while on Wednesday Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" had its debut as the festival's opening film.

The three are among the 22 selected films to compete for the Palme d'Or in front of a nine-strong jury headed by Italian director Nanni Moretti.

Starring Oscar-winning Marion Cotillard from France and Matthias Schoenaerts from Belgium, "Rust and Bone" tells a strange and surprising love story between an unemployed 25-year-old man and a killer whale trainer.

"After the Battle" depicts the aftermath of the overthrow of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last year and cast no real actors as it was filmed while the uprising and its uncertain aftermath were unfolding. It was a "love letter" to the Egyptian people at a difficult time, as the director said here on Thursday.

Set on an island off the coast of New England, "Moonrise Kingdom" is a 1960s drama about two 12-year-olds who fall in love and run away together into wilderness and then a violent storm turn the peaceful island community upside down.

On Friday, "Reality" by Matteo Garrone and "Paradise: Love" (Paradies: Liebe) are scheduled to join the race, followed by all the rest until the end of the festival on May 27.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet