Heidi Klum looked nothing short of sensational as she hit the red carpet with husband Tom Kaulitz on Wednesday, ahead of the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning screening on day two of the Cannes Film Festival.

The model, 51, put on a busty display in a chic blue sequinned gown from Elie Saab’s 1001 Seasons Haute Couture Collection.

The striking number featured a plunging neckline, off-the-shoulder detailing, sheer panels and a dramatic floor-length train that oozed old Hollywood glamour.

The German beauty styled her signature blonde locks in a voluminous blowout and amped up the drama with a bold smoky eye and flawless complexion. 

Meanwhile, her musician husband Tom, 35, looked incredibly dapper in a classic black tuxedo as he posed for sweet snaps alongside his stunning wife.

The couple, who tied the knot in 2019, looked every inch the A-list power duo as they made their stylish entrance. 

Heidi Klum looked sensational as she hit the red carpet for the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning screening on day two of the Cannes Film Festival

The model, 51, put on a busty display in a chic, blue sequinned gown from Elie Saab’s 1001 Seasons Haute Couture Collection, as she was joined by her dapper husband, Tom Kaulitz

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the eighth and final instalment in the long-running franchise, wrapping up the two-part storyline that began with ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning Part One.

Tom Cruise is back in the lead role as Ethan Hunt, joined by returning favourites Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Shea Whigham, Pom Klementieff and Henry Czerny. 

The film also introduces a host of new stars, including Bob Odenkirk, Parks & Recreation star Nick Offerman, Ted Lᴀsso’s Hannah Waddingham, Ozark actress Janet McTeer and Katy O’Brian.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to hit theatres on May 17. 

This year’s Cannes Film Festival is taking place in the wake of Trump’s vow to enact tariffs on international films. 

Cannes, where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d´Or, to give out at the end. 

Filmmakers come from nearly every corner of the globe to showcase their films while dealmakers work through the night to sell finished films or packaged productions to various territories.

‘You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation,’ says Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, who’s returning to Cannes with ‘The Secret Agent, a thriller set during Brazil´s dictatorship. 

The striking number featured a plunging neckline, off-the-shoulder detailing, sheer panels and a dramatic floor-length train that oozed old Hollywood glamour

‘You’ve got to really prepare for the whole experience because it´s quite intense – not very far from the feeling of approaching a roller coaster as you go up the steps at the Palais.’

Trump sent shock waves through Hollywood and the international film community when he announced on May 4 that all movies “produced in Foreign Lands” will face 100% tariffs.

The White House has said no final decisions have been made. Options being explored include federal incentives for U.S.-based productions, rather than tariffs. But the announcement was a reminder of how international tensions can destabilise even the oldest cultural insтιтutions.

The Cannes Film Festival originally emerged in the World War II years, when the rise of fascism in Italy led to the founding of an alternative to the then-government-controlled Venice Film Festival. 

In the time since, Cannes’ resolute commitment to cinema has made it a beacon to filmmakers. Countless directors have come to make their name.

This year is no different, though some of the first-time filmmakers at Cannes are already particularly well-known. Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water), Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great) and Harris Dickinson (Urchin) will all be unveiling their feature directorial debuts in Cannes´ Un Certain Regard sidebar section.

Many Cannes veterans have returned too, including Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning), and Robert De Niro – who received an honorary Palme d´Or 49 years after Taxi Driver premiered in Cannes. 

Quentin Tarantino is also set to pay tribute to low-budget Western director George Sherman. 

Meanwhile, Scarlett’s directorial debut, Eleanor The Great, will be unveiled on May 20.

However, in the wake of his legal battle with former co-star Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni is not expected to attend. 

Over recent years, the star-studded extravaganza has arguably won more attention for the outfits worn by its celebrity guests than the roster of feature films being screened on the Croisette. 

But new nudity rules, devised for ‘the sake of decency,’ were implemented when French director Amélie Bonnin’s Leave One Day opened the ceremony this week. 

According to organisers, the austere move is an attempt to stifle the celebrity trend for ‘naked dresses’ – namely provocative outfits that reveal considerably more than they conceal – on the red carpet. 

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the eighth and final instalment in the long-running franchise, wrapping up the two-part storyline that began with ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning Part One (Tom Cruise pictured)

Read More Heidi Klum exudes glamour in black sheer dress as she joins Eva Longoria and Julia Garner at star-studded Cannes Film Festival opening dinner

‘For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as any other area of the festival,’ states a Cannes festival document.

‘The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.’ 

The surprise new policy features in a recent festival-goers charter – released with a series of outlines regarding expected public behaviour. 

Guests are expected to converge on the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière for some of the highest-profile film screenings across a packed seven-day schedule in Cannes. 

It’s understood that the iconic venue now adopts a more conservative dress code, with suits, dinner jackets, and floor-length evening gowns generally favoured over headline-grabbing ensembles. 

Classic little black dresses, cocktail dresses, pant-suits, dressy tops and elegant sandals, ‘with or without a heel’, will also be permitted.  

While the decision to implement a more stringent policy will be a first, it is not known if French TV broadcasters, wary of airing nudity, played a role in its enforcement. 

Major red carpet events, including the Cannes Film Festival, are aired in France by France Télévisions.

Recently attracting more models and influencers than actors and filmmakers, the annual ceremony has seen an increase in risque red carpet fashion statements. 

In 2021, American supermodel Bella Hadid bared her cleavage in a plunging black gown while attending a screening of Tre Piani (Three Floors).

She pulled a similar stunt three years later, with guests at the 2024 gala left speechless after she attended the premiere of Donald Trump’s biopic The Apprentice completely braless beneath a sheer brown evening dress.