TheCannes Film Festival[a] is considered the most prestigious film festival in the world.[1] Held inCannes, France, it previews newfilms of all genres, includingdocumentaries, from all around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at thePalais des Festivals et des Congrès.[2] The festival was formally accredited by theFIAPF in 1951.[3] Cannes is considered one of the "Big Three" majorEuropean film festivals, alongsideVenice andBerlin, as well as one of the "Big Five" major international film festivals, alongside Venice, Berlin,Toronto andSundance.[4][5][6][7]
Note from 1939 with the French Government's decision not to participate at the Venice Film Festival anymore, but instead to host its own festival in Biarritz, Cannes or Nice
The Cannes Film Festival has its origins in 1938 whenJean Zay, theFrench Minister of National Education, on the proposal of high-ranking official and historian Philippe Erlanger and film journalist Robert Favre Le Bret, decided to set up an international cinematographic festival. They found the support of the Americans and the British.Thus, on 31 May 1939, the city ofCannes was finally selected as the location for the festival overBiarritz and the town hall along with the French government signed the International Film Festival's official birth certificate with the name ofLe Festival International du Film.[8]
Its creation can be largely attributed to the French desire to compete with theVenice Film Festival, which at the time was the only international film festival and had shown a lack of impartiality with itsfascist bias during those years.[9] The political interference seemed evident in the 1937 edition whenBenito Mussolini meddled to ensure that French pacifist filmLa Grande Illusion would not win.[10]
Outraged by the decision and as a measure of protest, the French, British, and American jury members decided to withdraw from the festival with the intention of not returning.[11] This snub encouraged the French to found a free festival. Thus, on 31 May 1939, the city ofCannes was finally selected as the location for the festival overBiarritz and the town hall along with the French government signed the International Film Festival's official birth certificate with the name ofLe Festival International du Film.[8]
The reason for choosing Cannes was because of its touristic appeal as aFrench Riviera resort town and also because the city hall offered to increase the municipality's financial participation, including the commitment of building a dedicated venue for the event.
In 1946, the festival was relaunched and from 20 September to 5 October 1946, twenty-one countries presented their films at theFirst Cannes International Film Festival, which took place at the former Casino of Cannes.[13] In 1947, amid serious problems of efficiency, the festival was held as the "Festival du film de Cannes", where films from sixteen countries were presented. The festival was not held in 1948 and 1950 due to budgetary problems.
In 1949, thePalais des Festivals was expressly constructed for the occasion on the seafrontpromenade of La Croisette, although its inaugural roof, while still unfinished, blew off during a storm. In 1951, the festival was moved to spring to avoid direct competition with the Venice Festival which was held in autumn.[12]
During the early 1950s, the festival attracted much tourism and press attention, with showbiz scandals and high-profile personalities' love affairs. At the same time, the artistic aspect of the festival started developing. Because of controversies over the selection of films, the Critics' Prize was created for the recognition of original films and daring filmmakers. In 1954, theSpecial Jury Prize was awarded for the first time. In 1955, thePalme d'Or was created, replacing theGrand Prix du Festival which had been given until that year. In 1957,Dolores del Río was the first female member of the jury for the official selection.[14]
In 1959, theMarché du Film (Film Market) was founded, giving the festival a commercial character and facilitating exchanges between sellers and buyers in the film industry. Today it has become the first international platform for film commerce. Still, in the 1950s, some outstanding films, likeNight and Fog in 1956 andHiroshima, My Love in 1959 were excluded from the competition for diplomatic concerns.Jean Cocteau, three times president of the jury in those years, is quoted to have said: "The Cannes Festival should be a no man's land in which politics has no place. It should be a simple meeting between friends."[15][16]
In 1962, theInternational Critics' Week was born, created by theFrench Union of Film Critics as the first parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival. Its goal was to showcase first and second works by directors from all over the world, not succumbing to commercial tendencies. In 1965Olivia de Havilland was named the first female president of the jury, while the next yearSophia Loren became president.[17]
The 1968 festival was halted on 19 May. Some directors, such asCarlos Saura andMiloš Forman, had withdrawn their films from the competition. On 18 May filmmakerLouis Malle along with a group of directors took over the large room of thePalais and interrupted the projections in solidarity withstudents and labour on strike throughout France,[18] and in protest to the eviction of the then President of theCinémathèque Française. The filmmakers achieved the reinstatement of the President, and they founded the Film Directors' Society (SRF) that same year.[19] In 1969 the SRF, led by Pierre-Henri Deleau created theDirectors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs), a new non-competitive section that programs a selection of films from around the world, distinguished by the independent judgment displayed in the choice of films.[20]
During the 1970s, important changes occurred in the Festival. In 1972, Robert Favre Le Bret was named the new president, and Maurice Bessy the General Delegate. He introduced important changes in the selection of the participating films, welcoming new techniques, and relieving the selection from diplomatic pressures, with films likeMASH, and laterChronicle of the Years of Fire marking this turn. In some cases, these changes helped directors likeAndrei Tarkovsky overcome problems of censorship in their own country.[21] Also, until that time, the different countries chose the films that would represent them in the festival. Yet, in 1972, Bessy created a committee to select French films, and another for foreign films.[22]
In 1978, Gilles Jacob assumed the position of General Delegate, introducing theCaméra d'Or award, for the best first film of any of the main events, and theUn Certain Regard section, for the non-competitive categories. Other changes were the decrease of length of the festival down to thirteen days, thus reducing the number of selected films; also, until that point the Jury was composed by Film Academics, and Jacob started to introduce celebrities and professionals from the film industry.[23]
In 1983, a new, much biggerPalais des Festivals et des Congrès was built to host the festival, while the Directors' Fortnight remained in the old building. The new building was nicknamed "The Bunker", provoking much criticism, especially since it was hardly finished at the event and several technical problems occurred.[24] In 1984 Pierre Viot replaced Robert Favre Le Bret as President of the Festival.[25] In his term, the Festival started including films from more countries, like Philippines, China, Cuba, Australia, India, New Zealand and Argentina. In 1987, for the first time of the Festival, a red carpet was placed at the entrance of the Palais. In 1989, during the first Cinéma & liberté forum, hundred directors from many countries signed a declaration "against all forms of censorship still existing in the world".[26]
Stars posing for photographers are a part of Cannes folklore.
In 1998, Gilles Jacob created the last section of the Official Selection: laCinéfondation, aiming to support the creation of works of cinema in the world and to contribute to the entry of the new scenario writers in the circle of the celebrities.[27] The Cinéfondation was completed in 2000 withLa Résidence, where young directors could refine their writing and screenplays, and in 2005,L'Atelier, which helps twenty directors per year with the funding of their films. Gilles Jacob was appointed Honorary President in 2000, and in 2002, the Festival officially adopted the nameFestival de Cannes.[28][29]
During the 2000s, the Festival started focusing more on the technological advances taking place in the film world, especially the digital techniques. In 2004, the restored historical films of the Festival were presented asCannes Classics, which included documentaries. In 2007, Thierry Frémaux became General Delegate. In 2009, he extended the Festival in Buenos Aires, asLa Semana de Cine del Festival de Cannes, and in 2010, he created theCannes Court Métrage for the Short Film competition.[citation needed]
On 20 March 2020, organisers announced the postponement of the2020 edition due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; although a small line-up of films was announced as the Official Selection for commercial purposes.[30] Shortly after, the edition was officially cancelled, since organisers refused to adopt an online strategy used by other festivals abroad.[31] It marked the first time the festival would not take place since 1968.
In 2021, since thepandemic was not fully controlled in France, the festival was once again postponed for two months later, dropping its usual late May dates, while masks were enforced to all attendees except for cast and crew during the red carpet.Spike Lee, who had been chosen to lead the main competition jury in 2020, was invited again to head the main competition jury for2021 Cannes Film Festival.[32] Aiming to accommodate many of the productions not released in 2020, the "Cannes Premiere" section was created featuring a considerable amount of the festival's regular filmmakers who didn't make into the main competition. A special "Cinema for the Climate" section was also created, but later dropped in the following editions.
In 2022, the festival denied pressaccreditation to Russian journalists associated with outlets who are not opposed to the ongoingRusso-Ukrainian war.[33] On the opening night of the festival, the president of Ukraine,Volodymyr Zelensky, made a video appearance where he talked about the war and the role of cinema in it.[34] The selection ofKirill Serebrennikov'sTchaikovsky's Wife, was met with criticism byEuropean Film Academy presidentAgnieszka Holland, even though the Russian filmmaker had been living in exile in Germany after condemning the ongoing war.[35]Iris Knobloch was elected the first woman president of the festival in the same year,[36] succeeding the co-founder and former head of French pay-TV operatorCanal+,Pierre Lescure, who had served since 2014.[37][38]
In recent years, a number of gender and sexual controversies have surrounded the Cannes Film Festival. These include "Heelgate" in which numerous female attendees of a red carpet premiere were stopped from entering in 2015 for wearing flat soled shoes instead ofhigh heels.[50] The incident caused numerous female celebrities to wear flat soled shoes or no shoes at all to other red carpet premieres in a show of solidarity and protest.[51]
General DelegateThierry Frémaux reportedly "banned" selfies on the red carpet of the festival in 2015.[52]
As a result of the past sexual controversies and the#MeToo movement that arose out of theHarvey Weinstein scandal, in 2018, Cannes Film Festival officials announced the creation of a telephone hotline during the festival in which victims could report incidents of sexual harassment and other crimes.[53] The hotline is in collaboration with the French government.[54]
In 2017, along with the 70th anniversary events of the Festival, the issue of changing the rules on theatrical screening caused controversy, the festival had selected twoNetflix-produced films (The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) andOkja) for its main competition.[55] Since 2018, the enforcement of a theatrical screening window of eighteen months in France, only for main competition titles, resulted in the American streaming giant withdrawing completely from the festival, a decision maintained ever since.[56]
The president of the festival, who represents the festival in front of financial partners, the public authorities and the media, is elected by the board of directors of the festival, officially named the "French Association of the Film Festival".
The board is composed of authorities of the world of cinema, as well as of public authorities which subsidise the event. The president has a renewable 3-year mandate and appoints the members of his team, including the general delegate, with the approval of the board of directors.[57] Sometimes a president, after his last term, becomes the honorary president of the festival.
The general delegate is responsible for the coordination of the events. When Gilles Jacob passed from general delegate to the position of the president, in 2001, two new positions were created to take over his former post, the general director to oversee the smooth running of the event, and the artistic director, responsible for the selection of films. However, in 2007, the artistic directorThierry Frémaux, became again the general delegate of the Festival.
The general secretary is responsible for the reception of works and other practical matters.
Main Competition – Usually 22 films, competing for thePalme d'Or, all of them are projected at the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière (Théâtre Lumière), Cannes' main venue with more than 2.300 seats.[59]
Un Certain Regard – The festival's second most important section, featuring mostly upcoming filmmakers in their directorial debuts, competing for thePrix un certain regard. All of them are projected at theSalle Debussy.
Out of Competition – Usually French/American/Asian blockbusters, alongside the festival's opening film, which were not selected for the main competition. All of them are projected at the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière (Théâtre Lumière).
Midnight Screenings – Usually horror or comedy feature films with a broad commercial appeal. All of them are projected at the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière (Théâtre Lumière).
Cannes Premiere – Usually films which did not made into the main competition. All of them are projected at theSalle Debussy, but they do not compete for any official prizes.
Special Screenings – Usually a more diverse slate of feature films. All of them are projected at theSalle Debussy or at theSalle Buñuel, but they do not compete for any official prizes.
Cinéfondation – Usually fifteen shorts and medium-length productions from film schools over the world, competing for money prizes. All of them are projected at theSalle Buñuel.
Short Films Competition – Approximately ten short films competing for theShort Film Palme d'Or. All of them are projected at theSalle Debussy.
Cannes Classics – The section celebrates the world cinema heritage, highlighting classics from the past in new restored prints. The section usually also features documentaries about cinema and tribute films.
Cinéma de la Plage – The only free section of the festival, presents restored classic films, popular productions and new films to the mass public on Macé beach.[60]
Cannes Immersive – Since 2024, it features immersive virtual reality productions competing for the section's main prize.
Critics' Week – Since 1962, it has focused on discovering new talents and showcasing first and second feature films by directors from all over the world. Featuring a small competition for feature films and short films, alongside special screenings.
Directors' Fortnight – Since 1969, it has focused on focused on discovering new talents, showcasing avant-garde production, or works from established filmmakers.
ACID – Since 1992, it has focused in on discovering new talents, showcasing avant-garde production, promoting the theatrical distribution of independent films.
Tous les Cinémas du Monde – It showcases the vitality and diversity of cinema across the world. Each day, one country is invited to present a range of features and shorts in celebration of its unique culture, identity and recent film works.
Marché du Film – The busiest film market in the world. In collaboration with Think-Film Impact Production, the Marché du Film has introduced the impACT programme—highlighting critical societal themes through panels and industry workshops. These include "The Future of Film is Green", featuring figures such asAliza Ayaz, Claire Havet, and Lucy Stone, who shared actionable strategies to make film production more sustainable and climate-conscious.[61]
Masterclasses – Given in public by world-renowned filmmakers.
Tributes – Honours internationally renowned artists with the presentation of the Festival Trophee following the screening of one of their films.
Producers Network – An opportunity to make international co-productions.
Exhibitions – Each year, an artist, a body of work or a cinematographic theme becomes the focus of an exhibition that diversifies or illustrates the event's programme.
Prior to the beginning of each event, the festival's board of directors appoints the juries who hold sole responsibility for choosing which films will receive a Cannes award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their body of work and respect from their peers.[62] The appointment of the president of the jury is made following several annual management proposals made in the fall and submitted to the festival's board of directors for validation.[63]
Main Competition – An international jury composed of a president and various film or art personalities, who determine the prizes for the feature films in Competition.
Cinéfondation and Short Films – Composed of a president and four film personalities. It awards the Short Film Palme d'Or as well as the three best films of the Cinéfondation.
Un Certain Regard – Composed of a president, journalists, students in cinema, and industry professionals. It awards the Un Certain Regard Prize for best film and can, moreover, honour two other films.
Caméra d'Or – Composed of a president, as well as film directors, technicians, and French and international critics. They award the best first film in any category.
The jury meets annually at the historicVilla Domergue to select the winners.[64]
Caméra d'Or – It rewards the best first film of the Festival, choosing among the debutants' works among the Official Selection, the Directors' Fortnight and the International Critics' Week selections.
Given by Independent Entities
FIPRESCI Prize – The International Federation of Film Critics awards prizes to films from the main competition section, Un Certain Regard and parallel sections
Women in Motion: Since 2015, award delivered byKering and honouring major achievers in raising awareness around women's issues in the film industry.[67]
The Mercedes-Benz Award was given from 1993 until 1999.[68]
The festival has become an important showcase forEuropean films. Jill Forbes and Sarah Street argue inEuropean Cinema: An Introduction (ISBN0333752104), that Cannes "became...extremely important for critical and commercial interests and for European attempts to sell films on the basis of their artistic quality" (page 20).[69] Forbes and Street also point out that, along with other festivals such as theVenice Film Festival andBerlin International Film Festival, Cannes offers an opportunity to determine a particular country's image of its cinema and generally foster the notion that European cinema is "art" cinema.[69]
Additionally, given massive media exposure, the non-public festival is attended by many stars and is a popular venue for film producers to launch their new films and to attempt to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the globe.
Though most of the media attention the festival receives is journalistic in nature, the festival has been explored from the standpoint of fiction by novelists over the years.
Michael Grothaus'Epiphany Jones is a social satire about the festival and film industry and explores sex trafficking that occurs during the festival. The book was named one of the best Hollywood novels of all time byEntertainment Weekly.[70]Iain Johnstone'sCannes: The Novel is a dystopian tale about terrorists holding the festival hostage.
^"Pierre Lescure officiellement à la tête du Festival de Cannes".LeMond.fr (in French). 14 January 2014.Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved30 May 2017.Le président du Festival de Cannes est élu par le conseil d'administration de l'Association française du Festival international du film. Cette instance compte vingt-huit membres et repose sur un subtil équilibre entre le monde du cinéma et les pouvoirs publics, qui subventionnent l'événement.
