Close up: Yes we Cannes

The big story Ladddddiiiiiessss and gentlemennnnnn. Are you ready for an auteur smackdown? The Cannes 2012 line-up has been announced. Let's. Get. Ready. To rrrrrrrrrrrrr-read about lots of potentially brilliant films from great directors. Top of a bill rammed with arthouse heavyweights are Jacques "The Warden" Audiard and Michael "Pain for pleasure" Haneke. The big-name brawlers enter the crowded ring with Rust & Bone - Audiard's drama about a killer whale trainer (Marion Cotillard) who loses her legs on the job - and Love, Haneke's film about a woman (Isabelle Huppert) who moves back in with her parents after her mother suffers a stroke. Other fighters looking to make their mark on the canvas include Ken "The Realist" Loach (The Angels' Share), Walter "Highwayman" Salles (On the Road) and "Massive" Abbas Kiarostami (Like Someone in Love). They'll be heading into the competition alongside Matteo "Family Man" Garrone (Reality), Wes "King Quirk" Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom) and David "Cruel and unusual" Cronenberg (Cosmopolis). See the full line-up of this year's competition here . We'll be covering all of the action from now until the opening bell rings. In fact, our own head referee, Peter Bradshaw, has already weighed in with his opinion . Follow Peter and the rest of our critics over the next few weeks as we bring you all the news ahead of Cannes 2012. Your ringside seat awaits ... In the news Hunger Games sequel: directors compete to oversee Catching Fire Mel Gibson rant at Joe Eszterhas caught on tape Vincent Gallo sues Los Angeles for 'wasting tax dollars' Black Swan director plans George Washington biopic Michael Douglas set for big-screen comeback in Last Vegas Alfred Hitchcock's complete films to be shown in London retrospective Bond causes a stir with taste for beer in Skyfall James Cameron advises Arnold Schwarzenegger on new Terminator On the blog Funny old world: do comic films ever travel well? Why not let a survey tell you which blockbuster to watch this summer? Battleship cruises to top of UK box office charts Why The Cabin in the Woods won't change the horror game Clip joint: Drunks The Hunger Games gets box-office gold again The Magic of Belle Isle – will Morgan Freeman see red? Cine-files: Kino Sõprus, Tallinn Watch and listen The genius of Alfred Hitchcock - in pictures Epithet: a short film starring Patrick Stewart Paul Simon: Under African Skies: watch an extract Marley director Kevin Macdonald: 'There's a reason why he's on every student wall' Listen to Britain: watch a clip from Humphrey Jennings's short film Further reading Joss Whedon: the film that changed my life Werner Herzog on death, danger and the end of the world Danny DeVito: 'It all worked out for me. Life is good' How we made: Terence Davies and Freda Dowie on Distant Voices, Still Lives Reel history: Centurion has a familiar ring about it, but it's not because it sticks to the facts Greta Gerwig interview: 'I idolise Woody Allen as a writer' In the paper In tomorrow's G2 Film & Music: Our film team analyse the film festival scene, there's a look at acting in superhero movies, and reviews of all the week's new cinema releases. In Sunday's Observer New Review Jenny Kleeman writes on the Afghan film industry and there's an interview with the five male leads of American Pie. Watch seven modern classics for free with Curzon on Demand Our new collaboration with Curzon on Demand will allow Guardian Extra members to watch seven modern classics for free online, inclusing The Piano Teacher , The Consequences of Love and Attenberg . See here for more details . And finally • Follow @guardianfilm on Twitter • ... and like us on Facebook