“I’ve been to Cannes with films that won the Palme D’or; others have done quite well, and some have really not done well. I know the — but it’s always such a pleasure to be there. And it’s very important to this art form that we all love.

” Important words from star Willem Dafoe about how it really feels to attend the world’s most iconic film festival as a veteran who has fielded varying levels of kindness from the Cannes crowd over the years — not to mention differing durations of those much standing ovations. As the 77th edition comes to a close, emotions were high and the love for the art form seemed stronger than ever as auteurs, stars, glitterati and industry insiders converged in the South of France for nearly two weeks of cinematic adventures in and around the Palais des Festivals. While Dafoe can lay claim for the A to Z of emotions, has the A (for A-list) to G (for glamour) covered in the annual portfolio from Julian Ungano.

The award-winning filmmaker, photographer, creative director and visual storyteller was once again hustling up and down the Croisette to capture behind-the-scenes portraits of the biggest stars of . This year’s exclusive set of images, seen below, capture moments with Dafoe and his clan with filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and actors , Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, and ; filmmaker and one of his actors, Thom Payne; supermodel ; stars Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski; breakouts Nathalie Emmanuel and Chloe Fineman; star Matt Dillon; Vincent C.