THE inspiring story of how 11 Women's Institute members posed naked to raised thousands of pounds for charity is being launched at one of the top film festivals in the world.

The film, Calendar Girls, based on how members of Rylstone and District WI in North Yorkshire shed their "Jam and Jerusalem" image to make a raunchy calendar, is being shown at a Press screening at the Cannes Film Festival today.

Real-life Calendar Girls Tricia Stewart and Angela Baker have flown out to promote the film, with the calendar's photographer, Terry Logan. They will join its stars, Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, at a tea party to promote the film, which is being hailed as the next Full Monty.

Mrs Stewart, from Cracoe, North Yorkshire, said yesterday: "It has been dramatised and fictionalised but it will have the heart of the calendar and the reason why we did it.

"I've seen bits of it and it looks wonderful."

The women produced their alternative calendar in April 1999 to raise money for Leukemia Research following the death of Angela's husband, John, from the disease.

They raised more than £650,000 and sold about 400,000 calendars and their efforts sparked an international media frenzy, turning its naked subjects into overnight stars.

Now the women, including Mrs Stewart, who wrote a book called Calendar Girl about their experiences, are preparing for renewed media interest.

"I think it's starting again," she laughed.

Many of the women have pledged to put their royalties from the film towards the leukemia charity and are hoping it will see their fundraising top £1m.

The film will be released by Buena Vista Interational on September 5, with gala premieres in London, Leeds and Skipton, North Yorkshire beforehand.

Directed by Nigel Cole, who also directed British film Saving Grace, Calendar Girls was shot on location in the Yorkshire Dales, in the village of Burnstall near Bolton Abbey and in Los Angeles.

Other stars include Celia Imrie, Annette Crosbie, Geraldine James and John Alderton.