Glamour was the name of the game at the premiere of La Plus Précieuse des marchandises (The Most Precious of Cargoes) during the Cannes Film Festival in France on Friday.
Dame Helen Mirren looked resplendent in a sweeping purple gown as she walked the red carpet at the glitzy event, just a day before this year’s festival comes to a close.
She was joined by Andie MacDowell who wore a shimmering gold floor-length dress for the occasion, and even Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague, who graced the event in an extravagant black gown.
Star of the silver screen Helen, 78, was the epitome of style as she posed in her off-the-shoulder floor-length dress on the penultimate day of the festival.
The garment was cinched in at the waist and the skirt section laid out on the red carpet beside her as she posed for the masses of awaiting photographers.
Dame Helen Mirren (left) looked resplendent in a sweeping gown as she walked the red carpet alongside Andie MacDowell (right) at the premiere of La Plus Précieuse des marchandises (The Most Precious of Cargoes) during the Cannes Film Festival
Molly-Mae Hague, who was invited to Cannes as a guest of L’Oréal Paris, turned heads in her own right as she modelled a glamorous black gown during an unlikely appearance at the festival
Star of the silver screen Dame Helen, 78, was the epitome of style as she posed in her off-the-shoulder floor-length dress at the glity event in France on Friday
She wore a dazzling diamond and silver necklace and a pair of matching earrings which glistened under the bright lights.
Fellow actress Andie, 66, donned a floor-length gold sequinned dress which she teamed with a flared sleeved shrug.
The American star smiled and confidently posed with her hands on her hips, with the long lengths of material from her cover-up reaching down to the ground.
La Plus Précieuse des marchandises (The Most Precious of Cargoes) is a French animated drama directed by Michel Hazanaviciu.
It has been adapted from Jean-Claude Grumberg’s 2019 novel of the same name.
The screenplay was written by both Grumberg and Hazanaviciu and is set for general release in France in November this year.
It features the voices of the late French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant as the narrator, Grégory Gadebois as Woodcutter, Denis Podalydès as The Man with the Broken Face and Dominique Blanc as The Wife.
Jean-Louis Trintignant features as the narrator in what was ultimately his final film role, with his voice being recorded before his death in 2022.
The garment was cinched in at the waist and the skirt section laid out on the red carpet beside her as she posed for the masses of awaiting photographers
She wore a dazzling diamond and silver necklace and a pair of matching earrings which glistened under the bright lights
The long train of Dame Helen’s dress was seen trailing behind her as she posed at Palais des Festivals in the French Riviera town of Cannes
She could be seen smiling as she was welcomed to the world premiere of the film by the many photographers who were eager to get her picture
Dame Helen opted for a pair of black high-heeled shoes to add a few inches to her stature for the premiere
The screen siren looked statuesque as she posed on the red carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival this week
Dame Helen was seen resting her head on the shoulder of fellow actress Andie as they posed together on the red carpet
The pair appeared to be content as they smiled while posing for photographs
The film is competing for Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or, or Golden Palm, whose past winners include Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Pulp Fiction, The Pianist and Parasite.
Cannes is the world’s biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to the then-fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival.
It has been held annually since 1946 except in 1948 and 1950, when it was cancelled due to lack of funds.
The festival is known for its carefully selected programme of films that have gone on to Oscar glory or launched the careers of directors like Quentin Tarantino.
Cannes’ top prize is the Palme d’Or, or Golden Palm, whose past winners include Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Pulp Fiction, The Pianist and Parasite.
Jane Campion became the first female director to win in 1993 with The Piano, followed by a nearly three-decade gap until Julia Ducournau received the award for Titane in 2021.
Andie MacDowell who wore a shimmering gold floor-length dress for the occasion
Andie, 66, donned a floor-length gold sequinned dress which she teamed with a flared sleeved shrug
The American star smiled and confidently posed with her hands on her hips, with the long lengths of material from her cover-up reaching down to the ground
La Plus Précieuse des marchandises (The Most Precious of Cargoes) is a French animated drama directed by Michel Hazanaviciu
It has been adapted from Jean-Claude Grumberg’s 2019 novel of the same name
The screenplay was written by both Grumberg and Hazanaviciu and is set for general release in France in November this year
It features the voices of the late French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant as the narrator, Grégory Gadebois as Woodcutter, Denis Podalydès as The Man with the Broken Face and Dominique Blanc as The Wife (L-R: Dame Helen, Andie and German actress Iris Berben pictured)
Jean-Louis Trintignant features as the narrator in what was ultimately his final film role, with his voice being recorded before his death in 2022
Justine Triet became only the third female director to take the prize last year with Anatomy of a Fall.
There is also an honorary Palme d’Or, which is awarded in recognition of notable bodies of work, with past recipients including Harrison Ford, Jane Fonda and Clint Eastwood.
There are two honorary winners this year: George Lucas of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ fame, and Japanese animation legend Studio Ghibli, the first group to receive the prize.
Other awards include the Grand Prix, jury prize, best director, best actor, best actress, best screenplay and best short film.
The Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off on Tuesday night as celebrities walked the red carpet into the plush Grand Theatre Lumiere to honour Hollywood actor Meryl Streep before settling in to watch this year’s opening film, The Second Act.
Almost as prestigious as winning the Palme d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize, is being on the jury that picks the winner.
Molly-Mae stunned in her high neck garment which featured puffed shoulders but was backless to allow a small glimpse at her toned figure
The former Love Island star cut a glamorous figure as she glanced back over her shoulder while wearing the backless dress
Molly-Mae rose to fame as a contestant on ITV2 reality show Love Island in 2019, when she met her now-fiancé Tommy Fury
Lady Victoria Hervey had all eyes on her as she was captured chugging away from a bedazzled bottle on the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival
She posed drinking from the lavish bottle, a customised edition from Judith Leiber’s collection of Big Bubbles champagne bottles – which ranges in price from £390 to £4,680
The former model didn’t miss another chance to own the star-studded red carpet, dazzling in a jaw-dropping bejewelled gown
The show-stopping number was covered in countless gleaming rhinestones – as was her champagne bottle (pictured) – over a nude semi-sheer panel with gold sequinned embellishments
Artists from around the world who have made a name for themselves in their respective field are picked to sit on the jury, with one member designated as jury president.
This year’s jury president, U.S. director Greta Gerwig, comes to Cannes after the massive success last summer of Barbie.
She is the first female U.S. director to serve as jury president, taking the baton from the head of the 2023 jury, Triangle of Sadness director and two-time Palme d’Or winner, Ruben Ostlund of Sweden.
The breakout star of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone returns to Cannes after becoming the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar and winning a Golden Globe award for her performance.
One of the writers of the 2014 Palme d’Or-winning film Winter Sleep, Turkish photographer, actor and screenwriter Ebru Ceylan is a familiar face at the festival.
Her first short film, On the Edge, was selected to compete at Cannes in 1998, and she has co-written several movies that were in the main competition line-up, including About Dry Grasses, Three Monkeys and The Wild Pear Tree.
Canadian fashion model Coco Rocha looked sensational in a Cheney Chan floor-length gown, with the dress taking on the form of a beautiful flower
The dress was sculpted and featured delicate folds to replicate the look of a petal from a real plant
The star stood out from the crowd as she posed in her unique ensemble for the night
Model Celina Locks (left) put on a leggy display in a baby blue one-shoulder dress with cut out detail while former Miss Côte d’Azur Valeria Pavelin wore a pink dress adorned with shimmering silver rhinestones
American actress Joey King wore a semi-sheer blue custom Cong Tri gown adorned with shimmering silver crystals
She opted for a pair of Gianvito Rossi shoes and wore Gabriel & Co. jewellery to the event
French actress and filmmaker Mélanie Laurent was a vision in a glistening gold sequinned gown at the premiere
One of the select few women who have starred in a James Bond film, French actor Eva Green is also on the jury.
She has an eclectic resume that includes Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, smaller-scale projects like Nocebo and TV series Penny Dreadful.
The 12-time winner of Spain’s prestigious Goya Awards, Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona is on the jury.
He gained international recognition in 2007 with his first feature-length horror movie The Orphanage, produced by award-winning Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.
His latest, the survival drama and Netflix hit ‘Society of the Snow,’ netted the director an Oscar nomination for best international feature film at this year’s ceremony.
After making a name with 2018’s Capernaum, which earned her Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar nominations, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, who has long had ties to Cannes, adds jury member to her list of accolades.
Jury president Greta Gerwig, second from left, poses with jury members Omar Sy, from left, Lily Gladstone, Nadine Labaki, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Ebru Ceylan, J.A. Bayona, Eva Green, and Pierfrancesco Favino at the opening festival
One of Italy’s most famous actors with a parallel Hollywood career, Pierfrancesco Favino is no stranger to Cannes, having appeared in the competition films The Traitor, directed by Marco Bellocchio, and Mario Martone’s Nostalgia and now on the jury.
Winner of the 2018 Palme d’Or for Shoplifters, which also nabbed an Oscar nomination, acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda returns as a main competition jury member after his film Monster won best screenplay at last year’s festival.
With a Cesar award – France’s equivalent of an Oscar – under his belt for The Intouchables as well as several successful blockbusters, French actor Omar Sy is a Cannes veteran.
The actor with parts in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Jurassic World starred in the opening film of the 2022 Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, Father & Soldier, and will now serve on the jury.