Anne has some good ideas here but the section on seeing films is misleading. I've been attending the Cannes Film Festival as a local for many years now and I can tell you that climbing the red carpet requires massive luck or a connection with the film industry, not "a little patience". Anne confuses tickets and invitations; they are not the same. Tickets are only available to people with badges (through a complicated system available only to the press and film professionals) and the badges are checked before you climb the stairs. Invitations are distributed to various VIPs but your chances of finding an extra one by holding up a sign are really, really low especially for the black-tie only evening screenings. By the way, the dress code is only for the evening screenings.

A much more reliable tactic for seeing the films and participating in the excitement is to check out the Cannes Cinephiles booth which does distribute tickets for screenings of festival films in theaters around town as well as selected films in the Festival Palace. Also, you can buy a ticket to "Directors Fortnight" screenings in the Palais Stephanie. Directors Fortnight is a parallel festival although certainly not "fringe type".

See more here: http://www.frenchrivieratraveller.com/Cannes/FilmFestival.html

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