With the long slog of the Oscar season only just out the way, one would like to put off the 2012 awards conversation for as long as possible. Yet the Cannes Film Festival is only 11 weeks away, and with a higher-than-usual presence of Croisette fare in the last Oscar race — Best Picture winner “The Artist” debuted there, as did “The Tree of Life” and “Midnight in Paris” — people’s minds will start wandering in that direction sooner rather than later.

As if mindful of the connection, Cannes organizers chose this post-Oscar week to reveal the official poster for this year’s fest, and it follows the pattern set by the last few festival posters of adopting an iconic screen beauty as a festival mascot of sorts. Monica Vitti served that purpose in 2009, Juliette Binoche (en route to a Best Actress win) in 2010, Faye Dunaway last year — and for their 65th, they’ve gone for broke with Marilyn Monroe blowing out their birthday candles. It’s a pretty enough poster, but based around such a familiarly iconic shot that it doesn’t seem as emphatic a feat of branding as it should be.

Anyway, job done — we’re aware the festival is closer than it seems, and our appetite is duly whetted. Check out the poster below.  

For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter. 

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