Kelly Rowland's not the life of the party at the Cannes Film Festival ... in fact, the way she's waving her finger, seems she's downright pissed about something going on at a big glitzy event.
The Destiny's Child alum was strolling in Tuesday for the premiere of "Marcello Mio," rocking a striking blonde bob and a bold red dress -- looking very celebratory, but photographers captured several less than thrilled looks on Kelly's face as she had a heated exchange with a security guard.
Check it out ... the staffer's seemed to be trying to calm the situation by reaching out toward Kelly's arm to guide her into the event, and away from hundreds of onlookers.
Yet, after the female security guard uttered something to Kelly and co. ... Beyoncé's bestie turned and scowled, waving her finger in the woman's face. The exchange didn't end there ... with Kelly continuing on with her reprimand as the guard looked back in distress.
As for why things got so heated ... it's hard to tell just from the photos. We've reached out to Kelly's camp for some context, but no word back yet.
This is the 2nd concerning incident involving Kelly this year. Remember, the Grammy winner sparked controversy in February after she reportedly walked off the 'Today' show set over issues with her dressing room.
Kelly, who was supposed to cohost the morning show, only stayed for the 8 AM hour of the taping ... abruptly leaving and forcing Rita Ora to fill in for her.
The drama continued when Kelly refused to address the issue on WGN News a day later ... making for a seriously awkward interview. She DID express her love for Hoda Kotb, however -- so the beef clearly wasn't that deep!!!