Glamour and glitz at the Cannes Film Festival

Every year, the prestigious and influential Cannes Film Festival creates a media frenzy as the elite of the film industry jet-set to the beautiful French Riviera to soak up the sun, the glamour, and some of the world’s finest cinematic talent.

Check out our greatest Cannes red carpet moments here.

This year marks the 61st festival, which since opening in September 1939 has become famous for both its star-studded parties and premieres, and of course, for its films. From the 14th to the 23rd May, producers, distributors, writers, directors and actors in their dozens will flock to they playground of the rich and famous to feast upon the latest film premiers and judge an exciting line-up of hot new talent. Hollywood heavyweights Steven Soderbergh, Clint Eastwood and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman are just a few to be debuting their works, alongside newer faces on the film-making circuit hoping for that all-important break into the big time.

Certainly, the success of these movies is largely pre-empted by their reception amongst the discerning Cannes audiences. The festival has been known to make or break a film in a day; with the extensive media exposure and the audience’s potential for sheer brutality towards films that don’t take their fancy, this can lead to an overnight hit or an overnight flop.

Equally as much of the media’s focus, however, is usually on the festival’s glamourous attendees, which in previous years have included the likes of Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Taylor, Vanessa Redgrave, Sophia Loren and Princess Diana to name just a few. Tinseltown’s finest continue to hit the red carpet in style each year to be greeted by the glare of the paparazzi. In honour of this most celebrated internationally acclaimed event, The Weekly captures some of the greatest red carpet moments from Cannes —past to present.

Check out our Cannes’ red carpet glamour slideshow here.