Forthcoming sci-fi rom-com How to Talk to Girls at Parties featuring Matt Lucas is to be screened as part of the Official Selection at the Canne Film Festival this year.

Based on the short story of the same name by fantasy author Neil Gaiman, the film is directed by the genius mind behind Hedwig and the Angry Inch, John Cameron Mitchell – and that pairing alone would be reason enough to check it out.

However, a supporting cast including Nicole Kidman (Paddington), who last worked with Mitchell on 2010 film Rabbit Hole, alongside Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It) and Matt Lucas is where TVO comes in.

The film revolves around an alien (Ellie Fanning, The Box Trolls) who breaks away from her group touring the galaxy to meet two young inhabitants of the most dangerous planet in the universe: Croydon.  Tony Award winning actor Alex Sharp plays Enn, a local would-be-punk who falls for the alien when they meet at a party in 1977, sparking a clash between the extraterrestrials and the punks.

Backed by Film4, the film was shot in late 2015, and is set to receive its world premiere at the 70th Cannes Film Festival. US distribution has been picked up by A24 (who recently handled Oscar-winning flick Moonlight), while StudioCanal will handle UK distribution. As soon as we hear more we’ll let you know.