Of the 19 films competing for the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, half a dozen stand out as the favourites to win.

They are:

"Carol"

(US director Todd Haynes)

The US and British press fell hard for this period lesbian romance, with critics predicting its Australian star, Cate Blanchett, could even go on to win another Oscar.

"My Mother"

(Italian director Nanni Moretti)

Powerfully emotional, and one of a number of Cannes films that reference the cinema industry, this movie follows a director facing personal and professional crises.

"Son of Saul"

(Hungarian director Laszlo Nemes)

The 38-year-old Nemes's first feature, this movie was widely acclaimed for taking audiences into a Nazi concentration camp and showing the Holocaust in a different way.

"The Lobster"

(Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos)

Starring a paunchy, deadpan Colin Farrell, "The Lobster" is a weird but well-received movie about single people who are transformed into animals if they don't find a mate.

"The Assassin"

(Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien)

Rave reviews for the look of this one, about a ninth-century Chinese female assassin having to choose between her heart and her mission. Some though saw it as slow-moving, with a hard-to-follow plot.

"Youth"

(Italian director Paolo Sorrentino)

Starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel and Jane Fonda, "Youth" impressed for its rich images as well as its intelligent and amusing riffs on ageing.

The other films in the competition are:

"Sicario"

(Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin)

"Chronic"

(Mexican director Michel Franco, starring Tim Roth)

"Mountains May Depart"

(Chinese director Jia Zhang-Ke, starring Zhao Tao)

"Macbeth"

(Australian director Justin Kurzel, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard)

"The Tale of Tales"

(Italian director Matteo Garrone, starring Salma Hayek)

"Our Little Sister"

(Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda, starring Ayase Haruka, Nagasawa Masami, Kaho)

"The Measure of a Man"

(French director Stephane Brize, starring Vincent Lindon)

"Valley of Love"

(French director Guillaume Nicloux, starring Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert)

"Dheepan"

(French director Jacques Audiard, starring Anthonythasan Jesuthasan)

"Mon Roi"

(French director Maiwenn, starring Vincent Cassel)

"Marguerite & Julien"

(French director Valerie Donzelli, starring Anais Demoustier and Jeremie Elkaim)

"Louder Than Bombs"

(Norwegian director Joachim Trier, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert)

"The Sea of Trees"

(US director Gus Van Sant, starring Matthew McConaughey)