Michelle Keegan looks effortlessly chic as she joins Gillian Anderson, Jane Fonda and Simone Ashley at the L'Oreal Lights on Women Award in Cannes

Daily Mail​

23-05-2025

Michelle Keegan looked effortlessly chic as she lead the stars in attendance at the L'Oreal Lights on Women Award on Friday.
The English actress, 37, was glowing as she stepped out for the event, which celebrates women in film, on the penultimate day of the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
She was joined by a host of glamorous stars for the evening, including The X Files star Gillian Anderson, 56, Hollywood icon Jane Fonda, 87, and Bridgerton actress Simone Ashley, 30.
Michelle looked radiant as she arrived wearing a grey tweed minidress featuring embossed bra cups.
She threw over a huge grey and white pinstripe coat and accessorised with black stilettos and a clutch, with her brunette locks in a beehive up do.
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Meanwhile Sex Education star Gillian looked utterly sensational as she stepped out in an A-line sleek black floor-length dress, which featured a gold bangle-style off-the-shoulder strap.
Gillian completed her simple-yet-elegant look with open-toed heels and a messy bun hairstyle showed off her silver hoop earrings.
Also in attendance was Jane Fonda, whose ageless beauty was breathtaking as she donned a white towel fabric gown with shoulder pads.
Jane's bright silver locks were styled in bouffant waves and she wore a pair of silver sandal heels to pair with the gown.
Actress Simone was beaming as she arrived for the event on Friday, putting on a striking display in a red dress.
Her figure-hugging dress featured a halterneck design and was adorned with ruching. She paired it with clear heels.
American actress Elle Fanning was also in attendance, as she arrived in a quirky oversized double-breasted suit-style gown.
The garment featured a backless design thanks to a cut down the middle and a high leg split at the back.
The L'Oreal award will be handed out to one standout female director from the Cannes Short Film Competition after Viv Li scooped the prize for her work on Across the Waters in 2024.
Meanwhile Sex Education star Gillian Anderson looked utterly sensational as she stepped out in an A-line sleek black floor-length dress, which featured a gold bangle-style off-the-shoulder strap
The event comes on the penultimate night of the festival after a host of A-listers flocked to Cannes over the previous couple of weeks.
Filmmakers come from nearly every corner of the globe to showcase their films while dealmakers work through the night to sell finished films or packaged productions to various territories.
The awards were being held as part of Cannes Film Festival, which will come to an end on Saturday with a closing ceremony.
Cannes, where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d´Or, to give out at the end.
'You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation,' says Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, who's returning to Cannes with 'The Secret Agent, a thriller set during Brazil ´s dictatorship.
'You've got to really prepare for the whole experience because it´s quite intense - not very far from the feeling of approaching a roller coaster as you go up the steps at the Palais.'
This year's Cannes Film Festival is taking place in the wake of Trump´s vow to enact tariffs on international films.
Trump sent shock waves through Hollywood and the international film community when he announced on May 4 that all movies 'produced in Foreign Lands' will face 100 percent tariffs.
The White House has said no final decisions have been made. Options being explored include federal incentives for U.S.-based productions, rather than tariffs. But the announcement was a reminder of how international tensions can destabilise even the oldest cultural institutions.
The Cannes Film Festival originally emerged in the World War II years, when the rise of fascism in Italy led to the founding of an alternative to the then-government controlled Venice Film Festival.
In the time since, Cannes´ resolute commitment to cinema has made it a beacon to filmmakers. Countless directors have come to make their name.
This year is no different, though some of the first-time filmmakers at Cannes are already particularly well-known.
Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water), Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great) and Harris Dickinson (Urchin) have all unveiled their feature directorial debuts in Cannes´ Un Certain Regard sidebar section.
Many Cannes veterans have returned, including Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning), Robert De Niro - who received an honorary Palme d´Or 49 years after Taxi Driver premiered in Cannes - and Quentin Tarantino, who paid tribute to low-budget Western director George Sherman.