Les Arabes shimmy-down the red carpet at Cannes

Cannes 2012 Film Festival [1] presented a lot of Arab talent [2] with a chance to showcase the fruits [3]of their revolutionary year's labor. The springboard for former Arab hit films as Caramel 2007 [4], the international film platform proved this year to be a hot spot for budding Arab stars and starlets [5], a fashion catwalk for dazzling provocative dresses, and a comfortable patch for known celebrity faces [6] to shmooze and work those redcarpets.

The usual suspects [7] mingled with the latest film inspiration [8] from the Middle East to produce quite an Arab hubbub, to keep our media chatterati entertained, in case Arab goods came up short on Cannes awards [9], or Arab Lions [10].

Any comments, catty or cool about the Arab stars at Cannes Film Festival, please drop in the space below.

Cannes 2012 Film Festival presented a lot of Arab talent with a chance to showcase the fruits of their revolutionary year's labor. The usual suspects mingled with the latest film inspiration from the Middle East to produce quite an Arab hubbub, to keep the media chatterati entertained, if their goods came up as short on Cannes awards, or Arab Lions.

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Every Arabs favorite glamorous Lebanese singer, Najwa Karam. All dressed in white and representing cosmetics giant L'Oreal, the star looked comfortable posing for photographers in her slightly scandalous gown.

Mena Shalabi looked every inch the Greek Goddess (link to your piece?), using a toga-inspired backless number to show off her new cherry tattoo. The Egyptian starlet plays a young protestor in Yousry Nasrallah's movie about the clashes in Tahrir Square last year.

The internationally known Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama may not have been taking part in the movie making but he was still keen to show his face on the red carpet. Rumor has it that he received an official invitation from Chopard, the high class jewelers who partner the festival.

After rumors of her death shook the Arab world last year, it was good to see legendary Kuwaiti actress Hayat Al Fahd back on the red carpet. She starred in the short film, Hot Summer, an American movie also starring Kanye West.

Nahed enjoys a knees-up at Cannes! Not quite her ladylike-self, Egyptian starlet, Nahed al Sabahi was snapped in a revealing dress posing with her legs up in the air. The pictures have caused a stir, even among other racy highlights at the festival.

Egyptian movie star Bassem Samra, best known for his roles in El Medina and The Yacoubian Building was up for his part in the award nominated 'After the Battle', in which he stars with stunner Mena Shalabi.

Lamitta Frangieh - Miss. Lebanon 2004 - was working the red carpet and out on the prowl. Not yet an actress, the Arab beauty was keen to use the international festival for a bit of networking: chatting to directors and expressing an interest in acting to make an impression on the industry names. It would appear it all went swimmingly!

Moroccan film director Nabil Ayoush was a prize winner for his film 'Les Chevaux de Dieu' (God's Horses). The movie details the terrible conditions in the city slums around the North African nation and was awarded the Francois Chalais prize.