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Your Super Easy Guide To The 2023 Cannes Film Festival

The star-studded Cannes Film Festival is finally here, and after the Oscars and Met Gala this year, we couldn’t be happier to have some more red carpet glamour back in our lives.

The celebrations kick off on Tuesday May 16, and will celebrate all things international film, as well as the actors, directors and crew behind the scenes. This year will be the 76th edition of the festival, and will consist of the usual fanfare of film screenings, press conferences, parties and red carpet moments. Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Alicia Vikander, and Natalie Portman are among the celebrities expected to attend the week-long event.

Since its debut in 1946, the festival has been noted for unforgettable moments, from Princess Diana donning a baby-blue, diaphanous tulle Catherine Walker gown in 1987 to Cate Blanchett and more partaking in a #MeToo protest in 2018.

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Here's everything you need to know about the Cannes Film Festival 2023, from the red carpet to the moments not to be missed:

When is the 2022 Cannes Film Festival?

This year's event begings on May 16, with French-language film Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp. The festival will conclude on May 27, closing with Pixar’s animated film Elemental.

Where will the Cannes Film Festival 2022 take place?

As ever, the iconic calendar event will be hosted in the resort city of Cannes, on the French Riviera.

It’s an invite-only festival held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

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Who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2023?

Michael Douglas, of Fatal Attraction and Wall Street fame, will receive the honorary Palme d’Or for his lifetime achievement at the 2023 festival.

The Hollywood Reporter notes the festival has chosen Douglas, who is married to Catherine Zeta Jones, to pay tribute to his ‘brilliant career [and] his engagement for cinema’.

‘It is always a breath of fresh air to be at Cannes, which has long provided a wonderful platform for bold creators, artistic audacities and excellence in storytelling,’ said Douglas in a statement.

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‘From my first time here in 1979 for The China Syndrome to my most recent premiere for Behind the Candelabra in 2013, the Festival has always reminded me that the magic of cinema is not just in what we see onscreen but in its ability to impact people all around the world. After more than 50 years in the business, it’s an honour to return to the Croisette to open the Festival and embrace our shared global language of film.’

What have been the most iconic red carpet moments at the Cannes Film Festival?

There's too many to name, however, we've rounded up a selection of memorable moments from the occasion over the decades here.

Who can forget that in 1987 the late Princess Diana arrived to the festival with Prince Charles, wearing a powder blue Catherine Walker dress? Years before in 1957, Elizabeth Taylor attended the event with Mike Todd wearing a spectacular tiara.

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Brigitte Bardot, who was aged just 19 at the time, had her hair braided by Kirk Douglas on the beach at Cannes Film Festival in 1953. And in 1991 Madonna paired her signature metallic bra top with a duvet cover-style coat.

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In 2005, Natalie Portman sported a shaved head on the red carpet which followed her role in V for Vendetta. Fast forward to 2010 and Cate Blanchett stunned in an Alexander McQueen gown as a tribute to the late designer, who died in February that year.

At the time, a spokesperson told People: 'The dress had been selected and personally chosen by Mr. McQueen and his team for Ms. Blanchett. It was specifically tailored for Ms. Blanchett.'

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As for famous couple moments, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin had a major PDA moment in 2013, while former married couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attended the event in 2008, with the latter dressed in a flared, floor-pooling dress while pregnant with their twins, Knox and Vivienne.

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Which films are in the official line-up at Cannes Film Festival 2023?

A medley of stars, acclaimed directors and new talent make up the official line-up. This year there are 21 films competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or prize.

Here is the full list and ELLE UK’s Associate Editor Lena De Casparis’ take on the most exciting:

Club Zero by Jessica Hausner

‘Jessica Hausner comes with Mia Wasikowska a thriller about a cult of teens turning to disordered eating after a new teacher enters the school,’ says De Casparis.

The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer

‘Jonathan Glazer (of Under The Skin and Sexy Beast) returns with a war time love story. Getting all the deserved hype from Glazer fans,’ says De Casparis.

Kuolleet Lehdet (Fallen Leaves) by Aki Kaurismaki

Les Filles d’Olfa (Four Daughters) by Kaouther Ben Hania

‘A beautiful Arab film is the mother of four daughters and one day her two older daughters disappear,’ De Casparis notes.

Asteroid City by Wes Anderson

‘Anything and everything that Wes does will get heat, and especially when you put Scarlett Johansen in the mix,’ says De Casparis.

Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall) by Justine Triet

Kaibutsu (Monster) by Kore-eda Hirokazu

De Casparis says: ‘Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda (who made the amazing Shoplifters) explores the story of a mother who confronts a teacher after her son’s behaviour turns erratic.’

Il Sol dell' Avvenire (A Brighter Tomorrow) by Nanni Moretti

L’ete dernier (Last Summer) by Catherine Breillat

Kuru Otlar Ustune (About Dry Grasses) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher

La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Pot-au-Feu) by Tran Anh Hung

Rapito (Kidnapped) by Marco Bellocchio

May December by Todd Haynes

De Casparis explains: ‘Two Oscar winners - Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman – unite for Todd Haynes (Carol) new film about a writer looking back on a couple’s relationship.’

Qing Chun (Youth) by Wang Bing

The Old Oak by Ken Loach

Banel e Adama by Ramata-Toulaye Sy

Perfect Days by Wim Wenders

Firebrand by Karim Aïnouz

‘Alicia Vikandar leads a moving drama about marriage between Queen Catherine Parr and Henry VIII,’ explains De Casparis.

Black Flies by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire

Le Retour (Homecoming) by Catherine Corsini

Two films not in competition but showing at the festival include Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Previous Palme d’Or winners include Pulp Fiction and last year’s Triangle of Sadness.

Only two female directors, Jane Campion and Julia Ducournau, have won the prize.

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