Hollywood hero Clint Eastwood is making his sixth appearance at the Cannes Film Festival with "The Exchange" - an eagerly awaited drama inspired by events that took place in a United States marked by the Great Depression. (The film is also known as "The Changeling").

The film follows the desperate efforts of Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) to find her lost son Walter. After months of searching, a young boy is found and brought to the anguished mother - yet, she fails to recognise him. As a result, she is considered both irresponsible and mentally insane in a misogynous and unforgiving United States, where women remain tied to strict puritan values. Finally, in a dramatic climax, a journalist discovers that her legitimate son was murdered by a child killer.

Over in Europe, Monica Bellucci is doing her bit to beef up Italian pride. She stars in Marco Tullio Giordana's "Sangue pazzo" (Crazy Blood), the second film coming from across the Alps after the much discussed "Gomorra". Escaping the flashes for a few minutes, Monica Bellucci spoke to FRANCE 24's Elizabeth Tchoungui.

In our "Cannes by night" section, follow our correspondent from the festival's nightlife to the Villa Rothschild, where the contemporary festival known as the "Quinzaine des réalisateurs" celebrates its 40th anniversary.

You can also watch the video blog by our Web correspondent Arnab Banerjee.

And don't forget to watch the rest of our daily reports from Cannes:

20/05/08  Garrone's "Gomorra" - a punch in the face

19/05/08  The return of Indiana Jones

18/05/08  "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Woody Allen's latest success

17/05/08  Desplechin presents "A Christmas Story"

16/05/08 "Kung Fu Panda" kicks off second day of festival

15/05/08  Cannes festival opens