The Cannes Film Festival celebrates MGM's 80th Anniversary with Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd in Cole Porter musical.
De-lovely a musical biography of American composer Cole Porter directed by Irwin Winkler, will crown the 2004 Cannes Film Festival with music after the Award Ceremony on Saturday, May 22nd, 2004. The film will screen that evening as an official selection out-of-competition. De-lovely stars Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, and Jonathan Pryce in addition to some of today's biggest pop and rock music stars, including Alanis Morissette, Robbie Williams, Lara Fabian, Natalie Cole, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, and Diana Krall.

With the presentation of De-lovely, the Cannes Festival also celebrates the 80th anniversary of an incredible studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This tribute, in which MGM Vice-Chairman and COO Chris McGurk will take part, will be followed by exceptional festivities: after fireworks signal the end of the screening, a live concert will be given in the bay of Cannes featuring several music stars from the film. The concert will launch the Award Party that will end late that night.

Nourished by swing and jazz, Cole Porter is the composer who gave the musical its respectability and was one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century. Winkler's film - whose title is inspired by a song from Cole Porter, It's De-lovely – is literally carried by its music. Kline stars as Porter, with Judd as Porter's wife, Linda.

Director Irwin Winkler, a renowned, Oscar-winning producer, presented his first film, Guilty by Suspicion, in official selection in Cannes in 1989.

On Sunday 23rd May, the day will be dedicated to re-screening all the films of the official selection (Compétition, Un Certain Regard, Cinéfondation, Courts-métrages).
The Closing Ceremony will be exclusively dedicated to the Palme d'Or, as the Festival will end with the screening of the film that won the prize the previous day. For the first time, the film's representatives will be greeted by the Festival Jury at the top of the steps. The screening will be preceded by an arrangement depicting the best moments of the Festival 2004.

On the following day, The Closing Ceremony will be dedicated to the screening of the Palme d'Or.