Woody Allen, Robert De Niro and mroe arrive at the Cannes Film Festival.

The International Film Festival was created on the initiative of Jean Zay, Minister for Education and Fine Arts, who was keen to establish an international cultural event in France to rival the Venice Film Festival.

The first edition of the Festival was originally set to be held in Cannes in 1939 under the presidency of Louis Lumière. However, it was not until over a year after the war ended that it finally took place, on 20 September 1946.

It was subsequently held every September - except in 1948 and 1950 - and then every May from 1952 onwards. - Festival-Cannes.com.


Allen Stanford
Texas billionaire Allen Stanford arrives at the Federal courthouse in Houston, in the custody of US marshalls, in the June 25, 2009 file photo. REUTERS