Selfie sticks banned at Cannes Film Festival

Ellen DeGeneres posted this selfie on Twitter from the Oscars Credit: Twitter

Selfie sticks have been banned from this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Announcing the line-up for this year's event, Thierry Fremaux, festival director, called selfies "ridiculous and grotesque" and said they were strongly discouraged.

Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman are among the Hollywood names set to attend this year's festival.

Among the films being shown is lesbian love story Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, which stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as lovers in 1950s New York.

Also showing is MacBeth with Fassbender as the Scottish king and Marion Cotillard as his wife, and Paolo Sorrentino's Youth, which has a cast including Michael Caine, Rachel Weisz, Harvey Keitel and Jane Fonda.

A total of 17 films are in the running for the prestigious Palme d'Or next month including Gus Van Sant's The Sea Of Trees, which stars Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts.

Films showing out of competition include a documentary about the life of tragic singer Amy Winehouse, Mad Max: Fury Road and Woody Allen's Irrational Man.