The screening of The Bling Ring by Sofia Coppola, with Emma Watson in the title role, Taissa Farmiga, Leslie Mann and Kirsten Dunst, will open Un Certain Regard on Thursday 16 May.

Inspired by a true story, The Bling Ring recounts a group of adolescents who are fascinated by “beautiful people” and the world of brands, tracking the whereabouts and activities of celebrities online so that they can rob their homes. They steal over three million dollars of luxury items: jewellery, clothing, shoes, etc. Among their victims are Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Rachel Bilson. The media nicknamed this gang the “Bling Ring”.

An American director, actress, producer and screenwriter, Sofia Coppola lives in Paris.

Her first films Lick The Star (1996), Virgin Suicides (1999) and Lost in translation (2003), were very well received by critics and audiences, who recognized the authentic character of an auteur from her very first works. In 2005 she received the César for best foreign film for Lost in translation, which had already won an Oscar for best original script.

Sofia Coppola said, "I am happy to come back to the Festival de Cannes. Marie-Antoinette was in competition in 2006, I presented my first film Virgin Suicides at the Directors’ Fortnight and I am very proud now to open Un Certain Regard with my new film that will be screened for the first time before an audience. I can’t wait to be there…"

The Bling Ring will open in cinemas in France and around the world in June 2013.