With the Cannes Film Festival announcing its lineup in three weeks, a number of films have already started to be rumored for world premieres.

Among these films include Todd Haynes' highly anticipated drama "Carol" starring Cate Blanchett. The movie is also set for release by the Weinstein Company.

Another film that is among the rumored movies is Pixar's new film "Inside Out." Pete Doctor directed the film and was last at Cannes when Oscar-winning Pixar film "Up" world premiered.

Also rumored for the festival is Woody Allen's "Irrational Man" with Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone. The director has not been at Cannes since "Midnight in Paris" even though he has directed three features including "To Rome with Love," "Blue Jasmine" and "Magic in the Moonlight."

Denis Villeneuve is also rumored to take his upcoming film "Sicario" to the croisette. The director who is known for his work on "Incendies," "Prisoners" and "Enemy" has never been to the festival and this star-studded vehicle will likely serve as a first time.

Jacques Audiard's "Erran" is also likely to return to the festival after his hit films "Rust and Bone" and "A Prophet." The director is a Cannes favorite, and the movie is complete and has U.S. distribution making it a viable choice for programmers.

Jeff Nichols could also be back for a third time with his new film "Midnight Special." If the film competes at Cannes it could be a change for the competition slate as the movie is a science fiction big budget by Warner Bros. The movie stars Michael Shannon and Kirsten Dunst. Nichols has previously shown his films "Mud" and "Take Shelter" in competition.

Argentinian director Pablo Trapero could also be slated for the competition slate for his upcoming film "The Clash." The director is also beloved by Cannes audiences and programmers as he has had three films in the Un Certain Regard slate including "El Bonaerense" (2002), "Carancho" (2010) and "White Elephant" (2012). If "The Clash" is selected for competition, it would be his first to compete for the Palme D'Or.

French director Arnaud Desplechin could also be back at Cannes for "Nos Arcadies." The director has been in competition four times for his films "La Sentinelle" (1992), "Esther Kahn" (2000), "A Christmas Tale" (2008) and "Jimmy P." (2013).

Italian director Matteo Garrone may be back as well after winning the Grand Prix twice for his films "Gommorah" and "Reality." The director this time ventures into an English language film entitled "Tale of Tales" which stars Vincent Cassel, Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly.

Paolo Sorentino could also be back for the sixth time. The director could present "Youth" starring Michael Caine. It would follow features, "The Consequences of Love" (2004), "The Family Friend" (2006), the jury prize-winning "Il Divo" (2008), "This Must Be the Place" (2011) and "The Great Beauty" (2013).

A spot in Cannes is important as the festival brings the press, the biggest distributors and it is where Oscar buzz begins. Last year out of the 16 competition films only three films failed to pick U.S. distribution. Of the 16 films a number became strong awards players. Seven of the films went on to represent their respective countries for the foreign film prize and three were nominated for foreign film ("Leviathan," "Wild Tales" and "Timbuktu"). One of the films, "Two Days One Night," went on to get an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Of the English language films, "Foxcatcher" and "Mr. Turner" went on to get multiple Oscar nominations. It also helped that both of those films won big awards at Cannes. David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars" also played a role in the awards race as it was nominated for a Golden Globe.

While Cannes does not necessarily mean Oscar gold, there is always a chance that the films were will get even higher profiles and more buzz. "Carol" "Inside Out," "Irrational Man" and "Sicario" are films that have been on the radar for quite some time and a spot at Cannes will definitely boost their buzz and perhaps make them early Oscar contenders.

The Cannes Film Festival announces their full slate in April and will begin on May 13.

Related