DiCaprio and Diaz touch down in Cannes

Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz will be the star attractions at the Cannes Film Festival today for the first screening of their new film.

Gangs Of New York - which stars several Irish actors, including Brendan Gleeson - is still unfinished, with director Martin Scorsese still working on the final cut.

The Cannes audience will see only a 20-minute excerpt from the film.

Gangs Of New York was originally scheduled for release last December but was first postponed until June, and is now planned for release this December.

Industry insiders say the delay is down to Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein's insistence that the film be edited down to under three hours, while Scorsese is reluctant to cut it.

To add to its troubles, the movie's budget reportedly spiraled and Scorsese is under pressure to deliver a box office hit.

But all involved have played down rumours that the film has been beset my problems, with Diaz saying recently that the new December release date was planned to coincide with the Oscar nominations.

The film depicts the gang warfare between immigrant groups in the notorious Five Points slums in 19th century New York.

DiCaprio plays Amsterdam Vallon, a young Irish American who sets out to avenge his father's death at the hands of gang leader Bill the Butcher, played by Daniel Day-Lewis.

The cast also includes Liam Neeson.