The Festival de Cannes is now the world’s most prestigious film gathering, as well as its most widely publicized cultural event. Today a major forum for film-producing countries, its history, selections and prizes are usually thought to date back to 1946 – the year of the first festival proper. However, the first seeds of the event were actually sown eight years earlier.
With the 76th season about to get underway, the international Festival de Cannes is one of the world's most widely publicized events and certainly the most important film festival in terms of worldwide impact. Through the works, artists and themes it platforms on the world stage over the course of its 15-day line-up, the event is forever engaged in a process of self-renewal.
We put ten questions to Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate since 2007, on what the Festival de Cannes means today.
In order to achieve this level of longevity, the Festival de Cannes has remained faithful to its founding purpose: to draw attention to and raise the profile of films, with the aim of contributing towards the development of cinema, boosting the film industry worldwide and celebrating cinema at an international level. And to this day, this profession of faith constitutes the first article of the Festival regulations. It is a Cannes tradition to raise a glass to household names and usher emerging directors into the international film scene’s spotlight. That’s what makes Cannes, Cannes. We always painstakingly curate our offering to ensure we showcase hidden gems alongside more mainstream films.
The Official Selection serves to highlight the diversity of cinematic creation through its different sections, each of which has its own distinct identity. The films are screened in world preview showings, meaning it’s often the first time they come under the watchful gaze of a demanding audience made up of professionals and film lovers.
Some sections culminate in awards, such as the Competition where incredibly high-level “mainstream art film” works are presented, Un Certain Regard, which recently shifted its focus to return to more experimental up-and-coming arthouse directors, and CINEF film school graduate offerings.
But the Official Selection also centres on Out of Competition, Special Screenings, Midnight Screenings, and Cannes Première films, as well as heritage works screened as part of Cannes Classics and the Cinéma de la Plage. The important thing is that this Selection is both balanced and representative of cinematography at the time in terms of creativity and geography.
In July 1938, the Venice Mostra, the first international competition dedicated to the film world, saw the major pre-war film-producing countries gather together for the sixth time. France was represented with a series of films, and on the jury by the diplomat Philippe Erlanger.
On the day of the Awards ceremony, the jury was unanimous. An American film had captured their hearts, but under pressure from Hitler the Nazi propaganda film Olympia by Leni Riefenstahl and the Italian film Luciano Serra, Pilot by Goffredo Alessandrini reaped the ultimate accolade, named the Mussolini Cup. The decision provoked outrage among the members representing democratic countries and France, the United States and Great Britain left the Mostra, vowing not to return.
During his train journey back to France, Philippe Erlanger, thought of setting up an event to replace the Mostra and offer the world a festival that was free of pressure and constraints. On his return, he contacted the authorities. There was no time to waste – a rival French festival was required before the next Venice competition came around.
From September 1938 to May 1939, the initiative became a genuine State affair. Georges Bonnet, the Foreign Minister, was afraid of poisoning Franco-Italian relations, but the Education Minister Jean Zay, and Minister of the Interior Albert Sarraut, supported the idea of a film festival for Europe in which art would no longer be influenced by political manoeuvring. In June 1939, the creation of a film festival in France was announced in the media, supported by various film-producing countries, led by the United States, and scheduled to open on 1st September – the same day as the Mostra, which left only a few months to prepare the entire event.
Opening Submission Date
TBA
Event Date
May 14 - 25, 2024
Submissions Deadline |
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Feature Films (DVD/Blu-ray) |
TBA: €140 |
Short Films |
TBA: €30 |
Visit the Cannes Film Festival website for more information.