Paris Hilton‘s sister, who shares Lily-Grace with her banker husband James Rothschild, 38, is staying at the iconic Hotel Martinez while in France.

Cannes is the world’s biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to the then-fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival.

Nicky Hilton put on a very glamorous display as she arrived on the red carpet for the premiere of The Count Of Monte Cristo during the 77th Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday

The socialite, 40, turned heads in a plunging pale blue satin gown, with a daring thigh-high split and diamond waist detail

It has been held annually since 1946 except in 1948 and 1950, when it was cancelled due to lack of funds.

The festival is known for its carefully selected programme of films that have gone on to Oscar glory or launched the careers of directors like Quentin Tarantino .

Cannes’ top prize is the Palme d’Or, or Golden Palm, whose past winners include Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Pulp Fiction, The Pianist and Parasite.

Jane Campion became the first female director to win in 1993 with The Piano, followed by a nearly three-decade gap until Julia Ducournau received the award for Titane in 2021.

Justine Triet became only the third female director to take the prize last year with Anatomy of a Fall.

There is also an honorary Palme d’Or, which is awarded in recognition of notable bodies of work, with past recipients including Harrison Ford , Jane Fonda and Clint Eastwood .

There are two honorary winners this year: George Lucas of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘ Indiana Jones’ fame, and Japanese animation legend Studio Ghibli, the first group to receive the prize.

Other awards include the Grand Prix, jury prize, best director, best actor, best actress, best screenplay and best short film.

The Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off on Tuesday night as celebrities walked the red carpet into the plush Grand Theatre Lumiere to honour Hollywood actor Meryl Streep before settling in to watch this year’s opening film, The Second Act.

Paris Hilton’s sister, who shares Lily-Grace with her banker husband James Rothschild, 38, is staying at the iconic Hotel Martinez while in France

She elevated her height in silver strappy heels and accessorised with matching jewellery, while her blonde locks were styled in a neat bun

Almost as prestigious as winning the Palme d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize, is being on the jury that picks the winner.

Artists from around the world who have made a name for themselves in their respective field are picked to sit on the jury, with one member designated as jury president.

This year’s jury president, U.S. director Greta Gerwig , comes to Cannes after the massive success last summer of Barbie.

She is the first female U.S. director to serve as jury president, taking the baton from the head of the 2023 jury, Triangle of Sadness director and two-time Palme d’Or winner, Ruben Ostlund of Sweden.

The breakout star of Martin Scorsese ‘s Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone returns to Cannes after becoming the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar and winning a Golden Globe award for her performance.

One of the writers of the 2014 Palme d’Or-winning film Winter Sleep, Turkish photographer, actor and screenwriter Ebru Ceylan is a familiar face at the festival.

Her first short film, On the Edge, was selected to compete at Cannes in 1998, and she has co-written several movies that were in the main competition line-up, including About Dry Grasses, Three Monkeys and The Wild Pear Tree.

One of the select few women who have starred in a James Bond film, French actor Eva Green is also on the jury.

She has an eclectic resume that includes Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, smaller-scale projects like Nocebo and TV series Penny Dreadful.

The 12-time winner of Spain ‘s prestigious Goya Awards, Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona is on the jury.

He gained international recognition in 2007 with his first feature-length horror movie The Orphanage, produced by award-winning Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro .

Nicky’s gorgeous gown (R) was designed by Rebecca Vallance (L) who also attended the event

His latest, the survival drama and Netflix hit ‘Society of the Snow,’ netted the director an Oscar nomination for best international feature film at this year’s ceremony.

After making a name with 2018’s Capernaum, which earned her Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar nominations, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, who has long had ties to Cannes, adds jury member to her list of accolades.

One of Italy’s most famous actors with a parallel Hollywood career, Pierfrancesco Favino is no stranger to Cannes, having appeared in the competition films The Traitor, directed by Marco Bellocchio, and Mario Martone’s Nostalgia and now on the jury.

Winner of the 2018 Palme d’Or for Shoplifters, which also nabbed an Oscar nomination, acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda returns as a main competition jury member after his film Monster won best screenplay at last year’s festival.

With a Cesar award – France’s equivalent of an Oscar – under his belt for The Intouchables as well as several successful blockbusters, French actor Omar Sy is a Cannes veteran.

The actor with parts in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Jurassic World starred in the opening film of the 2022 Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, Father & Soldier, and will now serve on the jury.