New Woody Allen film to open Cannes Film Festival

American director Woody Allen speaks at a news conference for the film ''You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'' during the 35th Toronto International Film Festival September 12, 2010.

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. filmmaker Woody Allen's new romantic comedy "Midnight in Paris" featuring a cameo by France's first lady will open this year's Cannes Film Festival, organizers said on Wednesday.

The movie will be the latest in a series of recent works by the New York director to be shot on location in a European city, including "Match Point" in London and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," shot in the Catalan city.

It features a star-studded cast including Hollywood actors Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody, and a handful of French stars like Marion Cotillard, comedian Gad Elmaleh and up-and-coming actress Lea Seydoux.

The most attention-grabbing name on the cast list, at least in France, is Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who was a well-known singer and former model before she became President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife. She has a small non-speaking part in the movie.

"It's a film in which Woody Allen takes a deeper look at the issues raised in his last films: our relationship with history, art, pleasure and life," Festival Director Thierry Fremaux said in a statement.

The film will be shown in Cannes on May 11 at the red-carpet opening night for the 64th annual film festival in the French Riviera city, and released simultaneously at 400 theatres across France.

The Cannes Film Festival runs from May 11 to May 22.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)