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Pay attention to the stars at the Cannes international film festival this year. Next year, you could be sitting where they sat.

When the Grand Théâtre Lumière replaces its seating at the end of France’s red-carpet extravaganza in May, the old seats from the festival’s main theater will be donated to the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, said Todd Schall-Vess, general manager of the Byrd.

The Byrd would have to find a way to bring them to Richmond and to install them, but no estimate of the cost is available. Schall-Vess said he has not yet had the chance to discuss the donation with the Byrd Theatre Foundation.

The famously uncomfortable seats at the Byrd, which were in place when the grand movie palace opened in 1928, could be history by the end of the year if all goes well. The seats from France are probably 20 years old, Schall-Vess said.

“It’s because of the connection with the French Film Festival that has allowed this to happen,” Schall-Vess said. Now in its 22nd year at the Byrd, the event is the largest French film festival in the country. It’s co-sponsored by the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, and this year runs March 27-30.