Tilda Swinton says stories are vital as new fantasy film hits Cannes

Tilda Swinton said Saturday that the world needs stories more than ever as her fantastical new fable "Three Thousand Years of Longing", from "Mad Max" creator George Miller, premiered at Cannes.

Swinton plays an academic who releases a djinn (played by British star Idris Elba) from a bottle she finds in an Istanbul market, who offers her three wishes.

Speaking at Cannes, Swinton said it was fitting for a film "about having a variety of angles".

"The thing that´s dangerous about stories is when you only have one story," she told a press conference.

"It´s so clear now, particularly in the last few months that... when people only hear one story, things go down the tubes fast," she said, in an apparent reference to Russia´s invasion of Ukraine.

"Keeping our ears and hearts open -- that´s really important," she said.

On a lighter note, the film team faced the inevitable question of what three wishes they would make if they had the chance.

"I wish I had a better answer for that very question," Elba said with a chuckle.

"My second wish is that the audience takes from this film that we learn from stories and that this is quite an unconventional telling of a story.

"And my third wish would be for an electric Ferrari," he added, to laughs from the reporters.

Miller is the lauded Australian director behind such varied films as "Mad Max", "Babe" and "Happy Feet".

Given that his new film is a celebration of centuries-old myths, he was asked for his thoughts on Hollywood´s current obsession with superhero franchises and whether they would endure. (AFP)