What a spectacular year for the Cannes Film Festival. Everything just seemed to fall into place: the wonderful weather, the screenings, the talented guests and the audiences. I found myself falling in love with film after film. That’s unusual, especially when you screen around four films a day and throw in a few late-night galas!

From the romantic comedy of Woody Allen’s opening night film Midnight in Paris to Terrence Malick’s stunning, thought provoking Tree of Life, the winning film of the festival. You can see these two films right now in Chicago on AMC screens. That first night had the stars, the glitz and the buzz of excitement that was to come for the next ten days.

You name them and they were there: Robert De Niro, Jude Law, Uma Thurman, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, Jodie Foster and even Mel Gibson! The biggest discovery was to see actor Henry Hopper on the screen, Dennis Hopper’s son (and he is going to be a star). And how about Faye Dunaway on the official poster of the whole damn festival! She was a model back in that 1970s shot. Now so many years later she was everywhere, recognizable, and on her best behavior. Faye can be difficult, to say the least. If she is smart this poster and this exposure at age 70 could reignite her career. After all she does have two well-deserved Oscars!

The films this year covered a lot of territory, but most were very personal stories. What a thrill to see Chicago producer Gigi Pritzker’s film Drive win Best Director. My favorite of this year’s films had to be The Artist, a French confection. It’s a black and white recreation of a silent Hollywood film about the beginning of sound in film and the careers lost and gained as the industry changed. And Melancholia, the most talked about film of the festival: It’s the end of the world as seen through the eyes of Best Actress winner Kirsten Dunst.

Cannes is still the festival to discover the world. It has it all.

Michael Kutza is the Founder & Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival.