The Cannes Festival is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France. Until 2003 the festival was known as International Film Festival. The first festival was planned for 1939, but world war II postponed the festival. Finally, on 20 September 1946 the Festival de Cannes opened its doors, and twenty-one countries presented their films in the first great international cultural event. During the early 1950s, the festival attracted a lot of tourism and press attention, with showbiz scandals and high-profile personalities’ love affairs.

These stunning historical photographs capture the Cannes film festivals of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Vote your favorites and don’t forget to share.