Unbelievable photos from the most glamorous celebrity event in the world that's 70 years old

The Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off its 2017 run on Wednesday, i an exclusive, invitation-only film festival that started in 1946.

The Cannes festival, which takes place every year on the French Riviera, has changed a lot over the years. It's primarily about the films, but over the past few decades, it's evolved into one of the biggest occasions for fashion, and celebrities have walked its red carpet in some iconic looks. But it wasn't always so fashion-focused.

Business Insider talked to Getty Images' Director of Digital Archives Bob Ahern about the progression of Cannes from film festival to one of the glamorous, star-filled occasion of the entire year, and Getty provided some images from the fest's history.

Getty Images photographers have been covering Cannes for over 20 years. Getty also has one of the world's largest collections of archival Cannes imagery, which dates back to the very first festival in 1946. Throughout this year's Cannes Film Festival, Getty will have a team of 80 people, which includes photographers and videographers, social-media experts, picture editors, assignment editors, and technicians.

Here are stunning photos of stars from the Cannes Film Festival over the years and how it's evolved: