Cannes Film Festival 2021: Bella Hadid, Helen Mirren and more attend opening ceremony


Emma Day
  • English
  • Arabic

It may have been delayed, but Cannes Film Festival made up for the wait with a star-studded opening ceremony.

The annual cinematic celebration, which began in the French Riviera on Tuesday, brought together a wealth of famous faces on the red carpet for its first night.

Kicking off proceedings with a screening of Annette, a musical featuring Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver, stars of the silver screen congregated at the Palais des Festivals for the event.

Director Spike Lee, who is making history this year as the first black man to preside over the festival's jury, made his mark in a vibrant pink suit, as he was joined by jury members including actresses Maggie Gyllenhaal and Melanie Laurent, and French-Algerian star Tahar Rahim.

Scroll through the gallery above to see all the stars at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival 2021.

Celebrities, including actress Helen Mirren, supermodel Bella Hadid, The Martian star Jessica Chastain and model and singer Carla Bruni, also walked the red carpet, donning their finest eveningwear for the occasion.

Directors Jodie Foster, Parasite's Bong Joon-ho and Pedro Almodovar were among the names to help officially open proceedings, taking to the stage at the ceremony.

The 74th Cannes Film Festival was delayed until July from its usual May dates, with the aim of being able to host in-person events once more. The 2020 event was cancelled altogether, because of the pandemic, and while the programme has made a return this year, there are some changes afoot.

The festival has introduced an advanced booking system for screenings, those attending from outside the EU must submit to regular Covid-19 testing, and mask-wearing is mandatory.

The 2021 festival, which runs until Saturday, July 17, marks the first major fully fledged film festival held since the pandemic began, and is set to welcome premieres of films including The French Dispatch, Stillwater and Mothering Sunday.

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs

Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo

Gearbox: 7-speed automatic

Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 350Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km

Price: Dh235,000

Updated: July 07, 2021, 6:32 AM`