The Cannes Film Festival, the annual celebration of independent cinema on the French Riviera, will kick off today with John Travolta, Adam Driver and Barbra Streisand among the superstars set to walk the red carpet.

Cannes is the world’s biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 ‌as an alternative to Venice’s film extravaganza, which was then under the sway of the ruling fascists.