A Brief History
On September 20, 1946, the French Riviera city of Cannes hosted the first of its iconic film festivals, seven years later than planned due to the interruption of World War II.
Digging Deeper
Called simply “The International Film Festival” before 2003, the festival features new films of all types, including short and documentary films from all over the world, holding the event in their convention center complex, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.
The most coveted award at Cannes is the Palme d’Or, awarded to the director of the winning feature film, and the other top prize is the Grand Prix, awarded to the best film. In fact, those two prizes have gone back and forth as the most prestigious over the years. Normally held in May, the Festival awards numerous other category prizes.
Cannes joins Sundance, Venice, Berlin, and Toronto as the premier film festivals in the world.
Note: Major Dan has been to Cannes and believes the city is fantastic!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Have you ever attended a film festival?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Craig, Benjamin. Cannes – A Festival Virgin’s Guide. Cinemagine Media Publishing, 2018.
De Valck, Marijke, ed. Film Festivals. Routledge, 2016.
