With the 2011 Cannes Film Festival well underway on the Riviera, for the 3rd year running, a British TV company Cinémoi has been bringing fans all the backstage gossip and interviews live from the Croisette through its global TV and web coverage. Cinémoi, which launched in 2009, is the UK's first and only TV channel dedicated to French films and culture, and this year they are bringing the Film Festival directly to film fans through their free-to-air TV coverage in partnership with Sundance Channel Global, and their webisode's hosted by Cinémoi presenter Jonathan Ross and available for free on their website.

Cinémoi's aim is to provide audiences with accessible, innovative and unique quality programming and although the channel was initially created to showcase French cinema and culture, this year they will be branching out into global films, including both classic and modern South American, Asian and European cinema.

Oliver Bengough the CEO and founder of Cinémoi and a confirmed Francophile is passionate about film and cinema and after creating a successful live music venue "KOKO" in London, he decided to branch out and launch Cinémoi, a brand and lifestyle providing a unique access to French films and culture. Since they launched last year, they have received endorsements from British and French film stars alike including some of the stars of this years Festival, Michael Caine, Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Jane Birkin, Charlotte Rampling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Romain Duris and this year they are in town with a crew of 14 people to make sure you can follow all the Festival news and gossip live from the red carpet.

The company has partnerships in place with all the major French studios, including Studio Canal, TF1 International, Pathé, Gaumont and MK2 and once the Film Festival is over, they will be back here in the Riviera again shortly to complete their latest project, Ciné Couture a series of programmes exploring the relationship between fashion and cinema including a programme dedicated to local fashion designer and one of the Côte d'Azur's most famous residents, Pierre Cardin.

FR2DAY caught up with Oliver Bengough in Cannes during the first weekend of the Festival and chatted with him about his Cannes experience so far.

What has been your seminal Cannes moment so far?
This year's opening ceremony was something I'll remember for a long time. I was the last person to walk the red carpet, and the ceremony opened with a montage of Jury President, Robert de Niro's films. Then Robert De Niro walked onstage and seamlessly the entire audience stood and gave him a 5 minute standing ovation. As someone who loves film and grew up watching De Niro's movies, it was a very special moment for me, what Cannes is all about. There was an overwhelming elegance, glamour and real appreciation for a brilliant actor by an audience of his peers.

Why did you approach Jonathan Ross to present your Cannes footage this year?
Jonathan joined Cinémoi earlier this year as both a presenter and a shareholder. He is a household name who's extremely good at his job and he's also passionate about film, he has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the cinema, so he was the perfect person for the job.

Who throws the best parties in Cannes?
The nightlife in Cannes is always fantastic. Last year the producers of Wall Street threw a private dinner for around 200 people in a private villa outside of Cannes which was an amazing night. This year Kanye West and Naomi Campbell are both hosting parties which should be great. And the parties held on private yachts with various different actors and directors are usually a lot of fun.

Your top tip for the Palme d'Or this year?
Well, I haven't seen all the films in competition yet so I will reserve judgement on the potential winner until next week although Woody Allen's opening film "Midnight in Paris" was excellent and Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life" has had good pre-reviews. But I recently saw "Loverboy", directed by Catalin Mitukescu which is an official selection in the "Un Certain Regard" category and can highly recommend it. It deals with a difficult subject matter and is quite a heavy film but definitely worth watching.

With Cinémoi's recent recognition by the French Minister of Culture & Communication, Frédéric Mitterand for services to film it looks like they will be bringing French culture to the UK and beyond for a long time to come, check them out on TV at Sky 343 or Virgin 445 or via their website.

And if you can't get enough of all things Cannes-related, check out the brand new and absolutely free Cinémoi Cannes iPhone App, which brings all the latest videos, film footage interviews and red carpet photos directly to your phone so you can stay up to date with all the latest news from Cannes whether you're in the Côte d'Azur or elsewhere in the world.

And for a chance to win your very own VIP weekend in Cannes at world famous celebrity hangout, the Hotel Martinez, don't forget to enter the Cinemoi Cannes competition for a glamorous weekend of pampering and parties on the Riviera - Ooh la la indeed!

Photograph of Jonathan Ross © Ki Price for Cinémoi