On the occasion of its 65th edition the Cannes Film Festival pays tribute to Marilyn Monroe as icon on its official poster.
The black and white image of a beautiful Marilyn Monroe blowing out candles on her birthday was chosen for the 2012 Cannes Film Festival scheduled May 16 to 27. 
On August 5, will be 50 years since the death of the actress, “honored” recently by Simon Curtis in the movie “My Week with Marilyn”. Michelle Williams played the role of Marilyn and has received her third Oscar nomination.
The official press release explains why Marilyn Monroe was the perfect choice:
“Fifty years after her death, Marilyn is still a major figure in world cinema, an eternal icon, whose grace, mystery and power of seduction remain resolutely contemporary. Each of her screen appearances sparks the imagination. The Festival poster captures Marilyn by surprise in an intimate moment where myth meets reality – a moving tribute to the anniversary of her passing, which coincides with the Festival anniversary. She enchants us with this promising gesture: a seductively blown kiss. The Festival is a temple of glamour and Marilyn is its perfect incarnation. Their coming together symbolises the ideal of simplicity and elegance.”
