CRAZY AT CANNES: 10 MOST INFAMOUS MOMENTS

There are film festivals and then there is the Cannes Film Festival, the creme de la creme of the industry’s annual occasions. Throughout its 74 years in existence the annual pilgrimage to the south of France can be counted on to feature the most glamorous red carpet premieres and celebrity sightings, but not without controversy. Join us as we take a look at the fest’s most infamous and unexpected moments.

10. First things first, the storied fest was set to begin its glamorous reign on a not-so-glamorous day: September 1, 1939, the day on which Hitler invaded Poland and started World War II. As a result, the festivities were postponed until the year after the war and the first official Cannes Film Festival took place on September 20, 1946.

9. In 1954 a lesser-known B-movie actress named Simone Silva was named “Miss Festival 1954” and instead of playing the demure ingenue during her photo shoot to celebrate her honorary title, Silva surprised everyone by taking off her top and posed topless (with hands strategically placed over her breasts) with actor Robert Mitchum.

8. The excitement over 1989 Palme D’or winner Steven Soderbergh being the youngest-ever winner with his groundbreaking "Sex, Lies and Videotape" was almost overshadowed by fellow filmmaker Spike Lee's displeasure that his film "Do the Right Thing" did not win the fest’s big prize. Lee was reportedly so upset that he threatened to hit jury head Wim Wender with a Louisville Slugger.

7. In 2001 the cast of "24 Hour Party People" tried to get some extra publicity with a stunt that involved them gathering on a beach and hurling dead pigeons at each other. The cast members were subsequently booted from the beach. Their display did the trick however, as it was meant to capture the hard partying lifestyle of the band represented in the film. (Pictured: Steve Coogan and Anthony "Tony" Wilson)

6. The unofficial scene-stealer of 2007's fest was Jerry Seinfeld, thanks to his unexpected (and awesome) publicity stunt to promote his work in the animated film “Bee Movie.” Seinfeld pulled out all the stops, he dressed up in a giant fuzzy bee costume, put on a harness and flew through the air above the crowds.

5. Director Richard Kelly received an unwelcome surprise while en route to the 2006 festival, he was held at the airport by security officials because his full name, "James Richard Kelly" was very similar to a "James Kelly" who was on a U.S. terrorist watch list. Luckily for Kelly everything was straightened out in time for Kelly to make it to the festival for the premiere of his film "Southland Tales." (Pictured: Director Richard Kelly, Dwayne Johnson and Sarah Michelle Gellar)

4. Sacha Baron Cohen is known for causing a stir as much as he is for committing to his colorful characters so we now know to expect the unexpected any time Cohen makes a Cannes appearance. Who can forget when he bared nearly-all in that neon green mankini to promote "Borat" and then again in 2012 when he and a very furry friend "crashed" on the red carpet as part of promotion for "The Dictator."

3. During their publicity rounds for "Kung Fu Panda" in 2008, Jack Black accidentally spilled the beans to the press that his co-star Angelina Jolie was pregnant with twins. Jolie handled it in stride, even though Black was obviously embarrassed at the time. He later blamed the slip-up on his wife, because she claimed that everyone already knew about the multiple babies.

2. Never one to miss a party, Lindsay Lohan made headlines in 2008 when she was photographed smooching Samantha Ronson at a festival fete. That Cannes Film Festival served as their coming out party as a couple. Lohan's most recent visit to the Festival in 2010 also resulted in a media storm because the actress’ passport was stolen from her hotel room, which caused her to miss a court date in Los Angeles to determine whether or not Lohan was complying with the terms of her probation from a 2007 drunken driving conviction.

1. If we were to award a king of Cannes controversy, it would be director Lars von Trier. Not only has von Trier been responsible for premiering the most controversial film material to the festival, but he often makes outlandish comments that receive more attention than his films. In 1991 when his "Europa" was not the sole recipient of the coveted jury prize and was forced to share it, he sympathized with Hitler "a little bit."