Cannes Film Festival Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the Cannes Film Festival, held every year in Cannes, France.
May 17-28, 2022 – The 75th Cannes International Film Festival is scheduled to take place.
July 6-17, 2021 – Postponed from May, the 74th Cannes Film Festival takes place. “Titane,” directed by Julia Ducornau wins the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize.
Other Facts
The correct pronunciation of the city is “can.”
The Marché du Film is a parallel portion of the film festival that is a meeting place for film professionals to view, buy and sell films from around the world.
The festival lasts for approximately two weeks.
The top award at the festival is the Palme d’Or, the prize for best film. It was first presented in 1955, replacing another “Grand Prix” prize.
The top award for a first film is the Camera d’Or, presented by an independent jury. It was first presented in 1978.
There are also parallel sections which are not part of the official Cannes festival but run at the same time:
- La Semaine de la Critique (International Critics’ Week)
- The Directors’ Fortnight
- Association for Independent Cinema and its Distribution (ACID)
Timeline
September 1, 1939 – The first “Festival International du Film” opens in Cannes, but Germany’s invasion of Poland that day, beginning World War II, forces the festival to close on September 2.
September 20, 1946 – The first full length Cannes Film Festival opens.
1948 and 1950 – The festival is canceled due to lack of funds.
1951 – The festival moves from September to April. Later in the 1950s it moves to May.
1968 – Political turmoil shuts down the festival at its midpoint, when student demonstrations and striking workers throw France into turmoil.
March 10, 2017 – After two streaming-only films from Netflix are included in the competition, Cannes adopts a new rule that all selected films must be released in French theaters.
March 19, 2020 – Organizers issue a statement that the festival, scheduled for May 12-23, is postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
April 17, 2020 – Festival organizers say that the Marché du Film will take place online June 22-26.
April 27, 2020 – “We Are One: A Global Film Festival,” featuring new and classic films from around the world, will take place May 29-June 7, Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube announce. The event will run over 10 days with programming from the Cannes Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival and the New York Film Festival among others. Money raised is to benefit coronavirus relief funds.
October 27-29, 2020 – “2020 Special Cannes,” an event previewing in-competition short films, the Cinéfondation’s school films and four films from the Official Selection, takes place in Cannes.
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