'Grace Of Monaco' To Open Cannes Film Festival

Grace of Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman, will open the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, May 14.

The film, from director Olivier Dahan (La Vie en Rose) is not in competition and details a fictionalized account of the life of legendary actress Grace Kelly, played by Kidman, after she left Hollywood to become a princess. The film also stars Tim Roth, as her husband Prince Rainier III, and Frank Langella as Father Francis Tucker.

The film has had its share of controversy, with Kelly's children Prince Albert II and Princesses Caroline and Stephanie denouncing the film and labeling it a "farce." Kidman defended the film, saying she understood the royal anger and stressed that the film is not meant to be a completely accurate recounting of Kelly's life.

"It's not meant to be biopic. I certainly did my best to honor everything that was real and truthful in it," Kidman said of the film.

This will be the third year in a row that Kidman appears at the festival in an official capacity. In 2012, Kidman had two films screened at the festival: Hemingway & Gelhorn, which was out of competition, and The Paperboy. And, in 2013, Kidman acted as a member of the Feature Films Jury. Grace of Monaco is the first film from Dahan to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong