Since Ellen Degeneres broke the internet with her celebrity selfie at last year's Oscars, taking mobile phone snaps on the red carpet has become a must-do for A list stars. But this year's Cannes Film Festival has been declared a selfie-free zone after organisers asked celebrities to stop taking the 'ridiculous and grotesque' images. While Cannes director Thierry Fremaux admitted that he did not have the powers to ban the pictures altogether, he urged movie starts to resist the temptation. Scroll down for video . Celebrities have been told to stop taking selfies at this year's Cannes Film Festival by director Thierry Fremaux (pictured, models Petra Nemcova, left, and Victoria Bonya and Hofit Golan, right, at last year's event) Mr Fremaux said that the 'ridiculous and grotesque' pictures slowed the entire event down, causing problems for organisers (pictured, Jeremie Renier takes a selfie at the photocall for Saint Laurent last year) The Cannes director blasted celebrities such as Rosario Dawson (left) and Nabilla Benattias (right) who 'stop every two metres to take a picture of themselves, with themselves' Quoted in the Guardian, he said: 'We don't want to prohibit it but it's really a matter of timing. 'We have a certain amount of time to get people across the red carpet and up the steps and it really slows things down if people stop every two metres to take a picture of themselves, with themselves. He added: 'You never look as ugly as you do in a selfie.' Celebrities who will have to watch their selfie-taking at the 68th ceremony include Cate Blanchett, who stars in a film about lesbian love, and Michael Fassbender, who features in a film based on Shakespeare's MacBeth. Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and Benicio del Toro will also be welcomed to the French riviera when the event gets underway in a month's time. Mr Fremaux, director of Cannes, said he could not ban the pictures, but said celebrities will be discouraged from taking them . Mr Fremaux today announced 17 films that will be competing for prizes at the May 13-24 festival, chosen from more than 1,800 submissions. Fassbender will star opposite Marion Cotillard star in a film version of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' by Australian director Justin Kurzel. Meanwhile Blanchett stars in Carol, Todd Haynes’s adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel about a clandestine lesbian love affair in 1950s New York. Other nominations include Jia Zhangke 'Mountains May Depart,' Paolo Sorrentino's 'Youth' - a film about age starring Michael Caine - and Gus Van Sant's forest feature 'The Sea of Trees'. Returning Cannes veterans include 'Gomorrah' director Matteo Garrone, with 'The Tale of Tales,' starring John C. Reilly and Salma Hayek; South Korea's Kore-eda Hirokazu with sibling saga 'Our Little Sister'; and France's Jacques Audiard with 'Dheepan,' the story of a Tamil refugee in France. Also in the lineup are films by Italy's Nanni Moretti and Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Cannes organizers have faced criticism for not selecting more films by female directors, but, or the first time in more than 25 years, this year's festival will be opened by a film by a woman. French director Emmanuelle Bercot's drama 'La Tete Haute' (Head Held High), about a teenager steered away from a life of crime by a judge. Two more female filmmakers are in competition: Valerie Donzelli with 'Marguerite and Julien' and Maiwenn with 'Mon Roi' ('My King'). Both directors are French. Geographically, the entries range from Europe to China, South Korea, the U.S. and Mexico, setting of Denis Villeneuve's narco-crime drama 'Sicario.' Ellen Degeneres set the standard for celebrity selfies at last year's Oscars ceremony when she tweeted this image, which has since be reposted 3.5million times on the social network . Mr Fremaux made the comments at a press conference announcing the films competing in the 68th Cannes festival, which feature stars including Cate Blanchett, Matthew McConaughey and Michael Fassbender . Genres range from drama to martial-arts thriller to science fiction rom-com - in the form of 'The Lobster,' a film by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos starring Weisz and Colin Farrell. Fremaux said several more films will be added to the competition before the festival opens. Films in the lineup but not competing for prizes include Woody Allen's campus comedy 'Irrational Man,' starring Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix, George Miller's dystopian thriller 'Mad Max: Fury Road' and Asif Kapadia's documentary about the late singer Amy Winehouse, 'Amy.' Pixar, whose buoyant 'Up' opened the festival in 2009, returns with 'Inside Out,' in which an adolescent girl's thoughts and emotions become animated characters. Actress Portman makes her feature-film directorial debut with 'A Tale of Love and Darkness,' based on a memoir by Israeli writer Amos Oz. Winners of the Palme d'Or and other prizes will be chosen by a jury led by directors Joel and Ethan Coen. Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and Benicio del Toro will be among the other stars welcomed to the French riviera when the festival begins next month .
Thierry Fremaux, director of Cannes, aims to make red carpet selfie-free .
Said celebrities taking pictures of themselves slows entire event down .
Mr Fremaux then added: 'You never look as ugly as you do in a selfie'
Stars featuring at 68th event include Cate Blanchett and Michael Caine .