Dominique Charriau/WireImage/Getty Images

Director Agnes Varda and actress Tilda Swinton attend the “Up” Premiere at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France.  The two meet as though they were long lost kindred spirits of the avant-garde.  Agnes Varda has made films in her unique way since the the 1950’s.  She has led a very rich life, and has created an interesting body of work in which you can become enveloped while viewing the very moving; The Beaches of Agnès (coming soon to a theater near you). See Varda (bottom) in the 1960’s with her unchanging, signature bowl haircut.

Swinton began her screen career acting in the unconventional films of Derek Jarmen and still maintains a certain “edge” though she has broadened her horizons quite a bit beyond the art house cinema.  With dramatic (check out those hairdos!) and mysterious style sense to boot, these two quirky, independent women are cut from the same cloth.

Roger Viollet/Getty Images

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Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Jury President Actress Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. Huppert is ship-shapely in a summery ensemble that balances the glamour of the event and the relaxed nature of the coast of Southern France to perfection.  The glittery gold stripes of her nautical top are offset by polished dark denim and heeled sandals.   Jury members Sharmila Tagore, Robin Wright Penn, Asia Argento and Shu Qi must have phoned each other the previous night because they are well coordinated in  crisp, seaside neutrals and its yellow compliment.

Daniele Venturelli/WireImage/Getty Images

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Hello from the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. With many others I am a festival virgin, which if you say in certain parts of the city will get you some very strange looks.

The doom and gloom of the world economy thankfully has not stopped the sun shining upon the world’s  definitive film festival, although I’ve seen the odd ‘For Sale’ sign on some of the 80+ feet yachts moored behind the Palais. Times are clearly tough for the multi-millionaires.

Cannes is a very quaint town that waits, each year, to reveal itself to the world. We arrived a few days ahead of the main festival crowds and have witnessed a dramatic transformation. From a sleepy corner of the Mediterranean to a playground for the rich and famous, Cannes is a place unlike any I have ever been to before.

Over the next two weeks, our photo and video teams will be churning through thousands of photos and hours of footage, editing, compressing  and sending to our clients across the globe. Sadly as much as I would love to stay and soak up some more rays (ahem), my festival time will be cut short due to the UEFA Cup in Istanbul and the Champions League final in Rome.

Until next year …

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Young Lions winners Thijs Biersteker and Karian Weijers

On June 16, The Netherlands won first place at the Young Lions Print Competition at the 55th Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. The winning team members Thisjs Biersteker and Karian Weijers, who have just graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy, received a voucher for a Getty Images print of their choice as their prize.

The Young Lions Competition is designed to catapult the careers of rising stars that are set to re-define the future use of images in advertising. This year’s brief was set by Amnesty International. The charity disclosed a brief set around giving ordinary people extraordinary power to right the wrongs in the world. The teams, all under 28 years old, had just 24 hours to interpret the brief and develop a print ad using imagery from Getty Images.

“We are very happy,” said the ecstatic winning team from the Netherlands. “It’s a dream come true.”

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Competition closes TOMORROW, 14 May, 11:59pm PST!

It’s the Ultimate Pitch and it’s open to the world’s creative community. Send us an idea that makes a world of difference. If it’s judged to be the best, we’ll flaunt your work across the globe and on the beach at Cannes Lions 2008.

If you win, you’ll get to go too. Stepping into the shoes of world-renowned Executive Creative Director Bob Scarpelli – soaking up the finest creative and enjoying all his usual luxury perks at the festival.

And we’ll help you get the gig. Kick-start your brainstorm with our inspirational Catalyst search to land those “eureka!” moments. Then, tap into our big-budget clips, original music tracks and award-winning images to bring your ideas to life.

Play the video – Cannes awaits

Enter the Ultimate Pitch

Good luck.

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