Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon are among stars heading to France for this year's Deauville Film Festival, which began on Friday.

The focus of the 10-day event, which is taking place at the same time as the Venice Film Festival, is on mainstream films, and it is widely known as the place to launch US productions in Europe.

Many of this year's biggest blockbusters will be screened during the Normandy festival.

These include the Mel Gibson hit Signs; The Bourne Identity, starring Matt Damon; action thriller XXX, and Sam Mendes' Depression-era thriller Road To Perdition, which stars Tom Hanks and is also being shown at Venice.

Possession, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Steven Soderbergh's low-budget drama Full Frontal and Insomnia, director Christopher Nolan's follow-up to Memento, will also be shown.

Meanwhile, films in competition at Deauville include Nicolas Cage's directorial debut Sonny, Jennifer Aniston drama The Good Girl, quirky comedy Kissing Jessica Stein and One Hour Photo, starring Robin Williams.

Harrison Ford will receive a special tribute at Deauville

The festival will kick off with I'm With Lucy, a romantic comedy featuring Monica Potter and Julie Christie, and the closing night film is The Banger Sisters, which stars Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn as former rock star groupies.

Harrison Ford, who will be at the festival to promote his latest thriller K-19: The Widowmaker, will receive a special tribute, as will actor Matt Dillon whose latest film City Of Ghosts will be shown. Several of Ford and Dillon's other films will be screened.

Tributes will also be paid to actress Ellen Burstyn, who turns 70 in December, producer Robert Evans and the late director John Frankenheimer.

Venice starts

In Italy the Venice Film Festival has begun with Frida, which stars Salma Hayek as the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Blockbuster XXX will be screened at Deauville

The film received a standing ovation from the opening night audience, and is now thought to be a front-runner for the festival's coveted Golden Lion award.

Meanwhile, actress Sophia Loren has arrived at the festival, making her first appearance there in 20 years. Her new film Between Strangers, directed by her son Eduardo Ponti, is being screened there.

Both the Deauville and Venice festivals end on 8 September.

Marrakech launch

Meanwhile, directors David Lynch, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese have been announced as guests of honour at the second Marrakech Film Festival, which takes place next month.

Scorsese, who partly produced two of his films, Kundun and The Last Temptation of Christ, in Morocco, will be awarded the country's highest honour - the Wissam Alaouite - by King Mohammed VI at the festival, which runs from 18-22 September.

The Banger Sisters is Deauville's closing film

Actress Jeanne Moreau will be heading the festival jury, with 10 films in competition.

The Marrakech festival was launched in September last year, but became a victim of the aftermath of 11 September, with virtually all the Americans who were due to attend cancelling their trips.

Last year's jury president, French actress Sophie Marceau, was among those who pulled out of the festival.