Two Hollywood legends returned to the Cannes Film Festival, with Kevin Costner presenting his self-funded large-scale western and Demi Moore returning in a gore-filled horror.
The star-studded premieres took place in the middle of the world's most famous film festival, where Emilia Perez, a musical about a transgender drug lord starring Selena Gomez, is currently the talk of the town.
The epic western " Horizon, an American Saga" is a passion project for Costner, who told AFP he began working on the script in 1988.
Despite having huge success with westerns, including the Oscar-winning " Dances With Wolves," "Open Range" and TV's "Yellowstone," he couldn't find a studio to finance his script.
"But I loved it, so I decided to write four, which is very American of me - crazy," says Costner, who financed the project himself.
The first film premiered May 19 in Cannes at a special screening outside the main Palme d'Or competition. A second film has been shot and will be released in cinemas worldwide this summer.
" Horizon" follows multiple characters and storylines on the violent frontier as Europeans establish settlements on Native American lands.
Costner stars alongside Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington.
Critics were unimpressed, with the Hollywood Reporter describing it as a "clumsy film".
Another veteran American star, Demi Moore, takes center stage in the horror film " The Substance," which deals with the immense pressure society puts on women to maintain their bodily perfection as they age.
Moore starred in several hit films in the 1990s, including "Ghost," "A Few Good Men," "Indecent Proposal" and "G.I. Jane."
This year's Cannes is a remarkable return to the red carpet after years of Moore making headlines more for his marriages to Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher than for his acting.
The ultra-graphic film elicited cheers and a standing ovation at its screening, and also fared much better in reviews.
Deadline called the film "the smartest and most terrifying horror breakthrough of the year," and Variety described Moore as "nothing short of fearless."
" The Substance," directed by Coralie Farjoa, is among 22 films competing for the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. /BGNES
