TheCannes Film Festival (/kæn/; French:Festival de Cannes[fɛstivaldəkan]), until 2003 called theInternational Film Festival (Festival international du film), is the most prestigiousfilm festival in the world.Held inCannes, France, it previews new films 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.[1] The festival was formally accredited by theFIAPF in 1951.[2]
Cannes is one of the "Big Three" major European film festivals, alongsideVenice andBerlin, as well as one of the "Big Five" major international film festivals, alongside Venice, Berlin,Toronto andSundance.[3][4][5][6]
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.
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.[7] The political interference seemed evident in the 1937 edition whenBenito Mussolini meddled to ensure that French pacifist filmLa Grande Illusion would not win.[8]
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.[9] 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.[10]
The reason for deciding 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.[12] 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.[11]
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.[13]
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."[14][15]
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.[16]
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,[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
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.[22]
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.[23] In 1984 Pierre Viot replaced Robert Favre Le Bret as President of the Festival.[24] 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".[25]
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.[26] 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.[27][28]
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]
In 2022, the festival denied pressaccreditation to Russian journalists associated with outlets who are not opposed to the ongoingRusso-Ukrainian war.[31] 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.[32]
Iris Knobloch was elected the first woman president of the festival in the same year,[33] succeeding the co-founder and former head of French pay-TV operatorCanal+,Pierre Lescure, who had served since 2014.[34][35]Fatima Hassouna, a Palestinian journalist was killed along with ten of her family members prior to her work being shown at the festival.[36][37][38][39]
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.[40] 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.[41]
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.[42] The hotline is in collaboration with the French government.[43]
General DelegateThierry Frémaux reportedly "banned" selfies on the red carpet of the festival in 2015.[44]
In 2017, along with the 70th anniversary events of the Festival, the issue of changing the rules on theatrical screening caused controversy.[45] In 2018, the enforcement of theatrical screening in France resulted inNetflix withdrawing their films from the festival.[46]
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 subsidize 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.[47] 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.
The Cannes Film Festival is organised in various sections:[48]
The Official Selection – The main event of the festival.
In Competition – The films competing for thePalme d'Or. They are projected in theThéâtre Lumière.
Un Certain Regard – Films selected from cultures near and far; original and different works. They are projected at theSalle Debussy. The films competing for thePrix un certain regard.
Out of Competition – These films are selected to have Gala screenings at theThéâtre Lumière, but they do not compete for the main prize.
Midnight Screenings – These films are selected to have Gala screenings at theThéâtre Lumière during midnight, but they do not compete for the main prize.[49]
Cannes Premieres – These films are selected to be projected at theSalle Debussy, but they do not compete for the main prize.[49]
Special Screenings – The selection committee chooses for these films an environment specially adapted to their particular identity.
Cinéfondation – About fifteen shorts and medium-length motion pictures from film schools over the world are presented at theSalle Buñuel.
Short Films – The shorts competing for theShort Film Palme d'Or are presented at Buñuel and Debussy theatres. There are approximately 10 films in this competition.
Cannes Classics – It celebrates the heritage of film, aiming to highlight works of the past, presented with brand new or restored prints.
Cinéma de la Plage – Screenings of classic films and select new films for the mass public on Macé beach, preceded by a programme dedicated to film music.[50]
Parallel Sections – These are alternative programmes dedicated to discovering other aspects of cinema.
International 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.
Directors' Fortnight – Since 1969, it has cast its lot with the avant-garde, even as it created a breeding ground where the Cannes Festival would regularly find its prestigious auteurs.
ACID (Association for Independent Cinema and its Distribution)
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.
Masterclasses – Given in public by world-renowned filmmakers.
Tributes – Honors 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.
60th Anniversary – Events organised in 2007 dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Festival.
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.[51] 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.[52]
Feature Films – 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 film in any category.
The jury meets annually at the historicVilla Domergue to select the winners.[53]
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.[56]
The Mercedes-Benz Award was given from 1993 until 1999.[57]
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).[58] 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.[58]
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.[59]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.
