The Cannes red carpet springs to life again on Tuesday as the 76th Cannes Film Festival gets underway with the premiere of the Louis XV period drama “Jeanne du Barry", with Johnny Depp.

This year's festival promises a Cote d'Azur buffet of spectacle, scandal and cinema set to be served over the next 12 days. It will unspool against the backdrop of labour unrest. Protests that have roiled France in recent months over changes to its pension system are planned to run during the festival, albeit at a distance from the festival's main hub.

Meanwhile, an ongoing strike by screenwriters in Hollywood could have unpredictable effects on the French Riviera festival.

But with a festival lined with some much-anticipated big-budget films, including James Mangold's “Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny” and Martin Scorsese's “Killers of the Flower Moon”, the party is sure to go on, regardless.

Stars set to hit Cannes' red carpet in the next week and a half include Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Alicia Vikander, the Weeknd and Scarlett Johansson.

Festivities on Tuesday will include an opening ceremony where Michael Douglas is to receive an honorary Palme d'Or.

The jury is led by last year's Palme d'Or winner, Ruben Ostlund, and also includes Hollywood stars Brie Larson and Paul Dano.

The opening night selection has attracted some controversy. “Jeanne du Barry,” directed by and co-starring the French actor-director Maïwenn, co-stars Depp as Louis XV. It's Depp's first new film since his trial last year with Amber Heard, his ex-wife. After both Depp and Heard accused each other of physical and verbal abuse, a civil jury awarded Depp US$10 million in damages and US$2 million to Heard.

Maïwenn, an outspoken critic of the MeToo movement, was last month accused of assaulting a journalist in a Paris restaurant. (AP/AFP)