Festival de Cannes 2019

The 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place from 14 to 25 May 2019. At its head, we will find Edouard Bear, the master of ceremonies, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the jury president. The cream of global cinema will gather in Cannes for the presentation of new films. The Promenade de la Croisette hosts filmmakers, photographers and actors during the second half of May. This Cannes boulevard crystallises the city’s activity during this short period of the year.

This international film competition is world-renowned, and is even the most widely covered film festival. Its fame has been built notably through the wide selection of films from important directors but also through its memorable moments such as the red carpet walk, for example. The festival rewards the film that received the most attention from the jury (Grand Prix), the best director (Best Director award) or the best actor and best actress (Best Actor or Best Actress award). Other awards are at stake for more technical aspects of cinematography. The ultimate reward is the Palme d’Or, an award given to the best film from a pre-selection.

From 1937, France sought to create an important cultural festival on its territory. However, the Second World War delayed this initiative. It was therefore only from 1946 that the first edition of the festival was held. It was an immediate success: filmmakers such as Fellini, Bergman, Truffaut or even Robert Wise presented their films at Cannes. For a long time, the festival was in competition with the Venice Film Festival. Over time, Cannes grew to greater proportions than its Venetian and Berlin counterparts.

The Festival has always known how to link itself to current events, provoking reactions and controversies. In May 1968, student demonstrations interrupted the festival. French filmmakers joined the movement and took the then Culture Minister André Malraux to task. The festival was cancelled a few days later. In 2017, the selection of films for the Palme d’Or sparked strong reactions on the Croisette. Two films, The Meyerowitz Stories and Okja, did not follow the classic theatrical release cycle. These were produced by Netflix, a platform offering films and television series in continuous streaming on the Internet. This was the first time that a film not released in theatres appeared among the contenders for the Palme d’Or.

Among the most anticipated films this year, we find the new feature film by Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood. Its casting is impressive with the presence of Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. Bong Joon-Ho, the Dardenne brothers, Ken Loach or even Pedro Almodovar will present their films.