THE GLITZ and glamour of the French Riviera came to Thanet last week when the International Filmmaker Festival awards were presented at Westwood's G Casino.
Films were given special screenings shown around the isle and the red carpet was rolled out on Thursday (October 29) night to welcome actors, directors and movie buffs from around the globe.
The night was organised by Ramsgate events manager Carl Tooney, who vowed to bring the film industry to his home town after working with the stars at the Cannes Film Festival.
Mr Tooney said: "It's been a fantastic festival and it's made me really proud to bring it to Thanet.
"All the stars and directors have been really complimentary and we're already looking forward to making it bigger and better next year.
"We can't expect it to turn into Cannes in one year, but from having films with budgets of £50,000 last year, we've gone to budgets of £5 million this year, and are looking at £20 million budgets next year.
"It's great for the area too, as we've booked out hotels, helped venues like Westgate's Carlton Cinema and Cliftonville's Tom Thumb Theatre and have used local car firms and restaurants."
The main winner of the night was Till You're Told To Stop, a documentary about singing sensation James Blunt by American filmmaker Ruth Somalo.
Holby City actress Rebecca Grant also made an appearance after she was nominated for her role in a film called Kristina, and Pakistani actor Mohib Mirza made history when he became the first actor from his country to receive an award.
