The Festival de Cannes in its 64th edition will be walking like an Egyptian up the red-carpeted steps of the Palais this year, with the fest set to welcome Egypt as the first annual country of honour, among other late entries to the official selection. Organisers of the festival that opens on Wednesday, said that they hoped to make the invitation of a guest country a tradition in future. Egypt "has informed the world of its need to change the course of history and of its need for freedom, while demonstrating its collective strength and expressing its desire for democracy", they explained in a statement. Egyptian directors, actors, producers and technicians will attend the event that will also see the screening 18 Days on May 18, as a tribute to the country. This film, a collaborative effort of short films from 10 Egyptian directors, 20 actors, six writers and a crew based on Egypt's recent revolution in Egypt, will include a homage to late Egyptian directing legend Youssef Chahine, the director of El-Massir (Destiny), who died in 2008. The films include Ehtbas by director Sherif Arafa, as well as Dakhli wa Khargi directed by Youssri Nasrallah, which deals with an Egyptian family's reaction after the revolt. All the profits from 18 Days will be donated to organising political and public education missions in Egyptian villages.