Unseen Guler images revive golden age of Cannes

As the world's most glamorous film festival prepares to welcome another flood of stars, premieres and red-carpet spectacles, a new exhibition in Istanbul is transporting visitors back to Cannes' golden age through the intimate lens of legendary Turkish photographer Ara Guler.

The exhibition, hosted at the Ara Guler Museum, showcases previously unseen photographs captured by Guler between 1957 and 1967 during his years covering the Cannes Film Festival. The collection reveals candid, often playful moments involving cinema icons far removed from the polished glamour usually associated with the French Riviera gathering.

Among the striking photographs are images of Sophia Loren raising a champagne glass beneath the gaze of admirers and Brigitte Bardot relaxing casually in jeans and a T-shirt in the countryside.

Rather than focusing solely on staged celebrity appearances, Guler documented private interactions, backstage celebrations and fleeting moments of humanity hidden behind Cannes' glittering façade.

Known globally as the 'Eye of Istanbul', Guler earned acclaim for his evocative black-and-white photographs chronicling daily life in Istanbul. Yet cinema remained one of his lifelong passions, shaping both his personal interests and professional work.

Museum conservator Temel Yilmaz said Guler's teenage diaries repeatedly revealed the same confession: "I didn't go to school today," because he had gone to the cinema instead.

Art adviser Cagla Sarac said the exhibition presents a fuller portrait of the festival by moving beyond award ceremonies and red carpets. "Ara Guler also captured what unfolded behind the scenes: lavish parties, intimate gatherings and even a luncheon held in honour of Sophia Loren," she said, describing the archive as a record of both glamour and emotional authenticity.

Born into an Armenian family in Istanbul, Guler began his career at Turkish newspaper Yeni Istanbul before gaining international recognition in 1958 after joining Time-Life magazine's Turkey office.

He later became associated with the renowned Magnum Photos following encounters with celebrated photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson and Marc Riboud.

Over decades, Guler photographed towering figures including Salvador Dali, Alfred Hitchcock and Winston Churchill. Film critic Alin Tasciyan said his work stood apart because it pursued honesty rather than spectacle. "He really photographed the spirit of the time, the spirit of the place," she said.

The exhibition coincides with the opening of this year's Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, where 22 films will compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or. Anticipated titles include 'Hope' by Na Hong-jin starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, alongside Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's AI-themed 'Sheep in the Box'.

Despite a noticeable absence of major Hollywood studio productions this year, Cannes is still expected to attract global stars including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart and John Travolta, reaffirming the festival's enduring status as cinema's grandest cultural stage.