She defended her position on the jury after facing criticism for being ‘too young’.
And Elle Fanning was a leading lady on arrival at The Dead Don’t Die premiere and opening ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival, in France on Tuesday.
The Mary Shelly actress, 21, cut a fairytale figure in a cape-style peach dress which had a ruched bodice and a high-low layered hem.
No fear: Elle Fanning looked radiant in a cape-style peach dress at the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony after she hit back at criticism she was too young for the jury panel on Tuesday
An amethyst-coloured pansy was stitched in a dozen dazzling sequins into the middle of the bodice for a fancy touch.
Elle looked radiant as she tidied her golden locks into a groomed bun, added shimmering drop earrings and applied a red lip to her look.
Wistfully she looked into the distance, the actress pulled off a show-stopping look in the extravagant cape-style dress which trailed behind her on the red carpet.
Once inside, Elle sat with poise and her huge amethyst rock was visibly striking as it complemented the pansy sequinned embellishment on her stunning dress.
Movie star quality: Wistfully looking into the distance, the actress pulled off a show-stopping look in the extravagant cape-style dress which trailed behind her on the red carpet
Elle was glowing with pride, just hours after she was forced to defend her placement on the Cannes Film Festival jury during a Q&A with nine panelists.
The actress faced backlash because critics claimed she was too young compared to older veterans in the industry.
However, Elle declared she was proud to represent a young voice at the star-studded festival as she hit back at the critics.
Perfection in peach: The golden-haired actress defined her pretty features with make-up as she took to the stage for the event
‘I definitely am young,’ She said, as reported by the New York Times.
‘But I started acting very young as well. I’ve been on many movie sets and started off with one of the best…I feel proud to represent a young voice at this festival.’
Fanning is the youngest person on the panel of nine people within the industry but she is also justified in her statements about working with some of ‘the best’ in film.
Flashy! Once inside, Elle sat with poise and her huge amethyst rock was visibly striking as it complemented the pansy sequinned embellishment on her stunning dress
Blooming lovely: An amethyst-coloured pansy was stitched in a dozen dazzling sequins into the middle of the bodice for a fancy touch
Elle tread the red carpet on Tuesday for the opening ceremony and the premiere of The Dead Don’t Die where she was joined by a number of movie stars.
The Dead Don’t Die, which is tipped for release in the UK on July 19, is in the running for numerous awards at the ten-day event, including the coveted Palme D’Or award – the highest accolade presented at the festival.
The Jim Jarmusch-directed film stars Disney Channel alum Selena Gomez, 26, and Star Wars actor Adam Driver, 35, as the pair fight for survival when the undead begin to plague the sleepy town of Centerville.
It will go up against Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, starring Leonardo DiCarprio and Margot Robbie, Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You and 18 other hopefuls for the gong.
Perfect in pink: The Mary Shelly actress, 21, cut a fairytale figure in a cape-style peach dress which had a ruched bodice and a high-low layered hem
The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival will showcase 21 competition titles, plus out-of-competition, midnight and special screenings at the Palais des Festivals from Tuesday until May 25.
Actress Elle joined French graphic novelist Enki Bilal and the Oscar-nominated director of The Favourite Yorgos Lanthimos as jury members during the annual event.
Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu will preside over the panel that decides on prizes, including the top Palme D’Or award.
Big day: The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival will showcase 21 competition titles, plus out-of-competition, midnight and special screenings at the Palais des Festivals from Tuesday until May 25
What a woman: The blonde bombshell was a leading lady on arrival at The Dead Don’t Die premiere and opening ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival, in France on Tuesday
The jury for the festival’s 72nd edition will also include Pawel Pawlikowski, the Polish filmmaker and screenwriter named best director at Cannes last year for the impossible love story Cold War.
Maimouna N’Diaye, who has directed documentaries and acted in films such as Otar Iosseliani’s Chasing Butterflies will also sit on the panel, alongside two other female directors.
Kelly Reichardt, whose Wendy and Lucy starring Michelle Williams was a contender for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard award in 2008, directed 2016’s Certain Women.
Stand out: Elle was among the great and the good of the showbiz world when she climbed the stairs to the premiere
Smiling: Elle used her charm when she beamed brightly at jury president Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu while posing for photographs on the red carpet
Oops! The jury president accidentally stepped on the edge of Elle’s show-stopping dress but the actress giggled away the mistake
Italy’s Alicia Rohrwacher won best screenplay at Cannes last year for her film Happy as Lazzaro, a satirical fable about a peasant family.
French filmmaker Robin Campillo, who took Cannes by storm in 2017 with 120 BPM – Beats Per Minute, winning the Grand Prix for his movie about an AIDs activist, will complete the line-up.
Comic book creator Bilal, best known for his Nikopol trilogy of science fiction novels, has also directed feature films, including 2004’s Immortal, organisers said.
Amazing achievement: She has been tasked as a jury member during the annual event after mastering the skill of acting
Good company: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu joined Elle, Kelly Reichardt, Alice Rohrwacher, Enki Bilal, Maimouna N’Diaye, Robin Campillo, Yorgos Lanthimos and Pawel Pawlikowski