Cannes Film Festival: The most memorable moments of all time

Ahead of this year's cinematic celebration kicking off on May 14, we look back to festivals past

Princess Grace of Monaco and Prince Rainier III of Monaco first met in Cannes. AFP

It produces starry premieres, breath-taking red carpets and prizes, and this year's iteration is almost upon us. The 2019 Cannes Film Festival will run from May 14 to 25, with films such as Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood set to make their cinematic debut.

Other films on the line-up include: Pedro Almodovar's Pain and Glory, Marco Bellocchio's The Traitor, Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, Mati Diop's Atlantique, Steven Soderbergh's The Laundromat, Mounia Meddour's Papicha, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite and Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die. 

Since Cannes Film Festival was first founded in 1946, there have been many incredible events in its history. Ahead of the 2019 festival, we round up some of the best so far. 

Barking mad

In 2001, the Palm Dog award for best performance by a canine (live or animated) was inaugurated at the Cannes Film Festival. It was created by cinema journalist Toby Rose, whose fox terrier Mutley presided over the first award. It went to Otis the Jack Russell, for his part in The Anniversary Party, and his prize – a gold-lettered leather collar – was accepted by his co-star and the film's director, Jennifer Jason Leigh. Last year, the entire canine cast of Italian crime drama Dogman won.

Directors’ cut

In 2007, the festival celebrated its 60th anniversary by giving 35 directors "carte blanche" to make three-minute short films based on the theme of going to the cinema. Among the filmmakers were Lars von Trier, Ken Loach, the Coen brothers, David Cronenberg and Jane Campion. It was made into a film, a homage to artists, called To Each His Own Cinema. Talk about star quality.

Making a stand, sans stilettos

When she lifted up her black, Armani Prive gown at the premiere of Money Monster in 2016, many people were surprised to see Julia Roberts sauntering up the red-carpeted stairs barefoot. Her shoeless feet were a protest against the festival's dress code after a group of women in flat shoes had been turned away from a screening of Carol a year earlier, with organisers later confirming it was obligatory for all women to wear high heels to red-carpet screenings.  

Campion a champion

Dozens of directors have won the Palme d'Or, but Campion's triumph in 1993 was historic. She became the first – and so far only – female director to win it, receiving the award for her drama The Piano. A year later, Campion won an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Will a woman win the Palme d'Or this year?

Drama queen

Nadine Labaki last year became the first female Arab filmmaker to take home a major award. The Lebanese director received the Jury Prize for Capernaum, which follows a street-smart boy as he attempts to sue his neglectful parents for giving him life. The powerful film received a 15-minute standing ovation after its premiere at the festival. In her acceptance speech, Labaki paid tribute to the film's young cast, many of whom were not professional actors. "I hope the film will enable the voices of these children to be better heard and trigger a debate," she said.

Fairy tale meeting

Their romance is one of the most famous in modern history; but the relationship between Hollywood star Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco, pictured below, may never have blossomed had they not crossed paths at the festival in 1955, where the actress was promoting To Catch a Thief. Kelly was invited to take a photograph with the royal, a meeting masterminded by British actress Olivia de Havilland. They were married in Monaco the following year.