the-fabulous-history-of-the-cannes-film-festival-in-pictures
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Considered one of the ‘big three’ film festivals, alongside Venice and Berlin, the Cannes Film Festival lights up the French Riviera city annually in May, premiering the latest films from around the world. Originally launched in 1938 shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, it was first touted as a rival to Venice, which had been used as a propaganda machine by the Italian Fascist Party. The first edition saw Hollywood’s biggest stars transported to the South of France via an Ocean Liner chartered by MGM Studios, with Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Norma Shearer, Spencer Tracy and James Cagney on board. Yet it was cancelled just two days in, following Germany’s invasion of Poland, with the Axis powers of France and the UK drawn into war. It returned in 1946, with the current iteration being its 75th edition. In the 1960s, it saw acting royalty like Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor walking La Croisette’s famous red carpet, while actual royalty, including Diana, Princess of Wales, have since attended. Over the years, it has awarded everything from Pulp Fiction to La Dolce Vita with its coveted Palme d’Or, designed for the last 25 years by Chopard.