Kim Kardashian, Kanye West kick off 'Cruel Summer' in Cannes

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have been living it up at Cannes. (Francois Mori / Associated Press / May 24, 2012)

By Oliver Gettell

May 24, 2012, 12:55 p.m.

Hip-hop superstar and aspiring filmmaker Kanye West took to the Cannes Film Festival to show his new short film. Its titled Cruel Summer though so far, Wests summer has been anything but.

He showed up to the festival with reality star and girlfriend Kim Kardashian on his arm, and the two celebrated Wests half-hour film, which plays over seven screens in a specially designed pop-up theater (in typically understated Kanye fashion). The film stars fellow rapper Kid Cudi as a car thief with expensive tastes who falls for a blind Arabian princess.

West and Kardashian were spotted canoodling on the red carpet and later partied on P. Diddys yacht, prompting Kardashian to tweet, What an incredible night in Cannes, France!

Cudi told MTV that watching himself on seven screens was weird! But it was dope, and Lebanese actress Razan Jammal, who plays the princess, called West an amazing person to work with. She also described West as a little shy.

Jet-setting to Cannes, erecting a customized screening venue and partying it up with P. Diddy don't exactly sound like the actions of an introvert, but perhaps the real test will be whether West manages to keep up with the Kardashians.

For her part, Kardashian recently hinted that her new beau might well pop on her reality show: If we are having dinner and he does show up, I'm sure we're not going to go, 'Stop the cameras!' "

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