This year’s Cannes Film Festival – one of the world’s most prestigious film events – turned into a celebration of #MexiCannes. As the star-studded Cannes 70th anniversary gala dinner wrapped up on May 23, a mariachi band came out to play “Cielito lindo,” “México lindo y querido,” and the Spanish version of “Happy Birthday.”
In a few red-tinted videos, Salma Hayek, Guillermo del Toro, Emmanuel Lubezki, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and BFFs Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal can be seen gathering around Table 46 to sing along with the mariachis. They also attracted other celebrities like Isabelle Huppert and quickly became the center of attention. As they loudly sang, a larger group surrounded them and recorded them on their phones. And with GdT giving the performance of a lifetime, it’s hard to blame onlookers.
A week later, we know that Salma Hayek masterminded the entire thing. According to the The Hollywood Reporter, the Beatriz at Dinner actress got the idea while hanging out with Hollywood’s Mexican contingent on the red carpet earlier that day. Hayek and husband Francois-Henri Pinault then arranged to fly Mariachi El Sol from Paris to Marseilles. The band traveled the rest of the way to Cannes by car.
Check out a few more videos of the performances below: