A court in Paris has given Terry Gilliam the green light to screen 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' at the Cannes Film Festival.

Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam

The 77-year-old star has become embroiled in a lengthy legal row about the long-awaited movie, but a French court has ruled that Terry can finally screen his film at the festival in Cannes.

Paulo Branco, one of the production's former backers, has been campaigning to have the screening shelved.

But the official Twitter feed of the Cannes Film Festival has announced: "The request of Paulo Branco for a ban was rejected by the courts. 'The Man Who Kill Don Quixote' will be screened at the close of the 71st Festival de Cannes! And Terry Gilliam will be there. Let's make this victory a great party. (sic)"

Earlier this week, it was reported that Terry - who is best known for his Monty Python work - was being treated in hospital after suffering a stroke, and that the much-discussed movie had lost its US distributor.

But the festival's Twitter account has posted an image of the British star, which is accompanied by a quote that reads: "Not dead yet. We are coming to Cannes."

Meanwhile, Branco - who claims to own the rights to the movie - has claimed at a press conference in Cannes that it was "very wise" to give the festival "exceptional authorisation" to screen the movie, which stars Adam Driver.

He added: "The decision doesn't interfere with any other decisions that have already been taken that give us the rights [to the film]."