60-655: The Palme d'Or ( French pronunciation: [palm(ə) dɔʁ] ; English: Golden Palm ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival . It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film . In 1964,
120-432: A palm , in tribute to the coat of arms of the city of Cannes , evoking the famous legend of Saint Honorat and the palm trees lining the famous Promenade de la Croisette . The original design by Parisian jeweller Lucienne Lazon, inspired by a sketch by director Jean Cocteau , had the bevelled lower extremity of the stem forming a heart, and the pedestal a sculpture in terracotta by the artist Sébastien . In 1955,
180-448: A Cannes award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their body of work and respect from their peers. 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. The jury meets annually at the historic Villa Domergue to select the winners. The most prestigious award given at Cannes
240-520: A competitive Palme d'Or . Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival ( / k æ n / ; French: Festival de Cannes , [fɛstival də kan] ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ( Festival international du film ), is an annual film festival held in Cannes , France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries , from all around
300-474: A cushion for the palm, which is hand-cast into a wax mould and now presented in a case of blue Morocco leather . In 1998, Theo Angelopoulos was the first director to win the Palme d'or as it appears today, for his film Eternity and a Day . The presentation of the 2014 Palme d'Or to Winter Sleep , a Turkish film by Nuri Bilge Ceylan , occurred during the 100th anniversary year of Turkish cinema. On receiving
360-408: A dedicated venue for the event. Hollywood stars of the moment like Gary Cooper , Cary Grant , Tyrone Power , Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , Marlene Dietrich , Mae West , Norma Shearer , Paul Muni , James Cagney , Spencer Tracy , and George Raft arrived thanks to an Ocean liner chartered by MGM ( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ). On 31 August, the opening night gala took place with the private screening of
420-402: A moment of confusion tries to sneak away with the kid but is stopped by the traffickers and must pay what they ask for him. He tries to put the kid on a bus and then a taxi, but he keeps running away, so he decides to take him across the border to Albania himself. Alexandros sees at the snowy mountain border an eerie barbed wire fence with what seem to be bodies stuck to it. As the pair waits for
480-414: 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
540-411: A trio of people on bicycles pedal by them, oddly dressed in bright yellow raincoats. The boy departs in the middle of the night, stowing aboard a huge, brightly lit ship whose destination is unknown. Alexandros enters his old home. He looks about, exits out the back door, and into the sunny past where Anna and other friends are singing. They stop, ask him to join them, then they all dance, and soon, there
600-648: 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." In 1962, the International Critics' Week was born, created by the French 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 1965 Olivia de Havilland
660-595: Is the Palme d'Or ("Golden Palm") for the best film. The festival has become an important showcase for European films . Jill Forbes and Sarah Street argue in European Cinema: An Introduction ( ISBN 0333752104 ), 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). Forbes and Street also point out that, along with other festivals such as
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#1732859131997720-522: Is trying to get his affairs in order and to find someone who would take care of his dog. He speaks in his mind to his dead wife, Anna, who appears still young to him. Alexandros hides a young Albanian squeegee kid from the police who are arresting other boys like him at a traffic stop in order to deport them. Later, he pays a visit to his 22-year-old daughter, but he does not tell her of his diagnosis. Instead he gives her some letters written by her mother, which she reads out loud, triggering his memories of
780-511: The #MeToo movement that arose out of the Harvey 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. The hotline is in collaboration with the French government. General Delegate Thierry Frémaux reportedly "banned" selfies on the red carpet of
840-557: The Caméra d'Or award, for the best first film of any of the main events, and the Un 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
900-613: The Palme d'Or was replaced again by the Grand Prix, before being reintroduced in 1975. The Palme d'Or is widely considered one of the film industry 's most prestigious awards. In 1954, the festival decided to present an award annually, titled the Grand Prix of the International Film Festival, with a new design each year from a contemporary artist. The festival's board of directors invited several jewellers to submit designs for
960-695: The Palme d'Or and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival . It was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards , but was not accepted as a nominee. Alexandros, a middle-aged writer, leaves his seaside apartment in Thessaloniki after learning he has a terminal illness and must enter a hospital the next day to perform more tests. He
1020-564: The Second World War . The French government ordered a general mobilization and this prevented the festival from continuing so it was finally cancelled. In 1946, the festival was relaunched and from 20 September to 5 October 1946, twenty-one countries presented their films at the First Cannes International Film Festival , which took place at the former Casino of Cannes. In 1947, amid serious problems of efficiency,
1080-488: The Venice Film Festival and Berlin 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. 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
1140-540: The American film The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara and directed by William Dieterle . The next day, on 1 September, German troops invaded Poland . As a result, the festival was postponed for 10 days and it would be resumed if the circumstances allowed it. However, the situation only worsened and on 3 September, France and the United Kingdom declared war against Germany, sparking
1200-411: 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 of high heels . 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. As a result of the past sexual controversies and
1260-746: The Festival in Buenos Aires, as La Semana de Cine del Festival de Cannes , and in 2010, he created the Cannes Court Métrage for the Short Film competition. On 20 March 2020, organizers announced the postponement of the Cannes Film Festival 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic ; the festival was later cancelled outright. Spike Lee, director of Do the Right Thing and BlacKkKlansman , had been chosen to lead
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#17328591319971320-474: The Festival. 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
1380-467: The French desire to compete with the Venice Film Festival , which at the time was the only international film festival and had shown a lack of impartiality with its fascist bias during those years. The political interference seemed evident in the 1937 edition when Benito Mussolini meddled to ensure that French pacifist film La Grande Illusion would not win. The last straw was in the 1938 event when Mussolini and Adolf Hitler respectively overruled
1440-522: The Palme and its pedestal in hand- cut crystal . In 1997, Caroline Scheufele redesigned the statuette; since then, it has been manufactured by the Swiss jewellery firm Chopard . The palm is made from 4.16 oz (118 g) of 18-carat yellow gold while the branch's base forms a small heart. The Palme d'or rests on a dainty crystal cushion shaped like an emerald-cut diamond. A single piece of cut crystal forms
1500-491: The Years of Fire marking this turn. In some cases, these changes helped directors like Andrei Tarkovsky overcome problems of censorship in their own country. 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. In 1978, Gilles Jacob assumed the position of General Delegate, introducing
1560-542: The actresses in the recognition due to a Cannes policy that forbids the Palme d'Or -winning film from receiving any additional awards. This policy would have prevented the jury from acknowledging the actresses separately. Regarding the unorthodox decision, Spielberg commented, "Had the casting been 3% wrong, [the film] wouldn't have worked like it did for us". Subsequently, Kechiche auctioned off his Palme d'Or trophy to fund his new feature film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , he expressed dissatisfaction with
1620-604: The award, Ceylan dedicated it to the "young people" involved in Turkey's ongoing political unrest, and the workers killed in the Soma mine disaster , which occurred on the day before the commencement of the awards event. In 2017, the award was redesigned to celebrate the festival's 70th anniversary . The diamonds were provided by an ethical supplier certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council. The 2020 Cannes Film Festival
1680-736: The best Hollywood novels of all time by Entertainment Weekly . Iain Johnstone 's Cannes: The Novel is a dystopian tale about terrorists holding the festival hostage. Paulo Coelho 's The Winner Stands Alone is also set at the Cannes Film Festival. The culture and history of the festival has been covered in a number of non-fiction books. The festival has been used as the backdrop and setting of several films, including The Last Horror Film (1982), La cité de la peur (1994), Festival in Cannes (2001), Femme Fatale (2002) and Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007); some of these were shot on location at
1740-471: The boy are connected by fear. The former over what lies ahead for him, and whether his life has had any impact; the latter over the perilous return trip to Albania on a path over the mountains lined with land mines, as well as traffickers. Alexandros pays a visit to his housekeeper, Ourania. She is manifestly smitten with him, but is in the middle of a wedding party and dances between her son and his bride. The scene plays on until Alexandros interrupts. He leaves
1800-412: 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
1860-410: The dog with her, and then the dance and music, which had stopped, resume as if nothing had halted them. The boy goes to the ruins of a hospital, mourning another young boy, Selim, via a candlelight vigil, with dozens of other youths. The pair take a bus trip and encounter all sorts of people, from a tired political protester to an arguing couple to a classical music trio. They also look out the window as
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1920-683: The eviction of the then President of the Cinémathèque Française . The filmmakers achieved the reinstatement of the President, and they founded the Film Directors' Society (SRF) that same year. In 1969 the SRF, led by Pierre-Henri Deleau created the Directors' Fortnight ( Quinzaine des Réalisateurs ), a new non-competitive section that programs a selection of films from around the world, distinguished by
1980-431: The fact that the regulations at that time prohibited awarding a documentary. 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. This snub encouraged the French to found a free festival. Thus, on 31 May 1939, the city of Cannes was finally selected as the location for the festival over Biarritz and
2040-420: 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, like Night and Fog in 1956 and Hiroshima, My Love in 1959 were excluded from the competition for diplomatic concerns. Jean Cocteau , three times president of the jury in those years,
2100-509: The festival in 2015. In 2017, along with the 70th anniversary events of the Festival, the issue of changing the rules on theatrical screening caused controversy. In 2018, the enforcement of theatrical screening in France resulted in Netflix withdrawing their films from the festival. The president of the festival, who represents the festival in front of financial partners, the public authorities and
2160-454: 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, the Palais des Festivals was expressly constructed for the occasion on the seafront promenade of La Croisette , although its inaugural roof, while still unfinished, blew off during a storm. In 1951, the festival
2220-461: The festival's decision to award multiple trophies, stating that he felt they had "publicly insulted" him. He added, "Liberating myself from this Palme d'Or is a way of washing my hands of this sorry affair". Since its reintroduction, the prize has been redesigned several times. At the beginning of the 1980s, the rounded shape of the pedestal, bearing the palm has gradually transformed to become pyramidal in 1984. In 1992, Thierry de Bourqueney redesigned
2280-412: The festival's popularity over critically-acclaimed films and Academy Award considerations, its reputation gained notoriety for introducing transgressive films—most notably each films behind New French Extremity as well as films of Michael Haneke and Lars von Trier —generated harsh criticism and controversy, extensive theatrical screening, lack of diversity, protests and various scandals continued over
2340-401: The festival. 43°33′3″N 7°1′5″E / 43.55083°N 7.01806°E / 43.55083; 7.01806 Eternity and a Day Eternity and a Day ( Greek : Μια αιωνιότητα και μια μέρα , Mia aioniótita kai mia méra ) is a 1998 Greek drama film directed by Theo Angelopoulos , and starring Bruno Ganz , Isabelle Renauld and Fabrizio Bentivoglio . The film won
2400-465: The film industry. In 1983, a new, much bigger Palais 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. In 1984 Pierre Viot replaced Robert Favre Le Bret as President of
2460-433: The film itself as well. Nine directors or director duos have won the award twice. Three of them () have won for consecutive films. In 1997, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Festival, the Cannes jury awarded a "Palme des Palmes" for the first time. Since 2002 the festival began to award a non-competitive Honorary Palme d'Or to directors or actors who had achieved a notable body of work but who had never won
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2520-436: The first Palme d'Or was awarded to Delbert Mann for his film Marty . From 1964 to 1974, the festival temporarily resumed a Grand Prix. In 1975, the Palme d'Or was reintroduced and has since remained the festival's symbol, awarded each year to the director of the winning film, presented in a case of pure red Morocco leather lined with white suede . As of 2023, Jane Campion , Julia Ducournau , and Justine Triet are
2580-505: The funding of their films. Gilles Jacob was appointed Honorary President in 2000, and in 2002, the Festival officially adopted the name Festival de Cannes . 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 as Cannes Classics , which included documentaries. In 2007, Thierry Frémaux became General Delegate. In 2009, he extended
2640-503: The gate to open, they have a change of mind about crossing, when the boy admits he has been lying about his life in Albania. The two of them barely escape a border sentry and make it back to Alexandros's automobile. The boy's perilous existence brings Alexandros out of his stupor and self-pity, and seemingly re-energizes him in his love for a 19th-century Greek poet, Dionysios Solomos , whose unfinished poem he longs to complete. The old man and
2700-490: The independent judgment displayed in the choice of films. 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 like MASH , and later Chronicle of
2760-458: The jury panel. In 2019, the jury panel had been led by Alejandro González Iñárritu , director of Birdman . Lee was later invited to head the jury of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival , held in July of that year. In 2022, the festival denied press accreditation to Russian journalists associated with outlets who are not opposed to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war . On the opening night of the festival,
2820-753: The jury's decision in order to award the Coppa Mussolini (Mussolini Cup) for the Best Film to Italian war film Luciano Serra, Pilot , produced under the supervision of Mussolini's son, and the Coppa Mussolini for the Best Foreign Film to Olympia , a German documentary film about the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics produced in association with the Nazi Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda despite
2880-478: 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. Sometimes
2940-535: The only female directors to have won the Palme d'Or (for The Piano , Titane , and Anatomy of a Fall , respectively). However, in 2013, when Blue Is the Warmest Color won the Palme d'Or , the jury headed by Steven Spielberg awarded it to the film's actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux , as well as the director Abdellatif Kechiche . This remains the only instance where multiple Palme d'Or trophies were presented. The jury decided to include
3000-427: The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky , made a video appearance where he talked about the war and the role of cinema in it. Iris Knobloch was elected the first woman president of the festival in the same year, succeeding the co-founder and former head of French pay-TV operator Canal+ , Pierre Lescure , who had served since 2014. In recent years, a number of gender and sexual controversies have surrounded
3060-564: The recognition of original films and daring filmmakers. In 1954, the Special Jury Prize was awarded for the first time. In 1955, the Palme d'Or was created, replacing the Grand 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. In 1959, the Marché du Film (Film Market) was founded, giving
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#17328591319973120-451: The selection of films. However, in 2007, the artistic director Thierry 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: 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
3180-427: The time when their daughter was a newborn at her baby shower . He learns that his daughter and her husband have sold the family's beach house without telling him. Also, they refuse to keep his dog with them. On his way back, Alexandros meets the immigrant boy again, and witnesses his capture at the hands of human traffickers who try to sell him into illegal adoption. Alexandros infiltrates the clandestine meeting and in
3240-404: The town hall along with the French government signed the International Film Festival's official birth certificate with the name of Le Festival International du Film . The reason for deciding Cannes was because of its touristic appeal as a French Riviera resort town and also because the city hall offered to increase the municipality's financial participation, including the commitment of building
3300-521: The world". In 1998, Gilles Jacob created the last section of the Official Selection: la Cinéfondation , 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. The Cinéfondation was completed in 2000 with La Résidence , where young directors could refine their writing and screenplays, and in 2005, L'Atelier , which helps twenty directors per year with
3360-574: The world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès . The festival was formally accredited by the FIAPF in 1951. Cannes is one of the "Big Three" major European film festivals, alongside Venice and Berlin , as well as one of the "Big Five" major international film festivals, alongside Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance . Despite
3420-595: The years to be one of the most polarizing. The Cannes Film Festival has its origins in 1938 when Jean Zay , the French 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
3480-405: Was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . 56 films were announced as official selections by the festival, but no awards were presented. During the 2018 closing ceremony, the jury awarded a "Special Palme d'Or" for the first time ever. Even though the award was not intended to be an Honorary Palme d'Or to Jean-Luc Godard , the move was made as an homage to his career, and as an award to
3540-521: Was moved to spring to avoid direct competition with the Venice Festival which was held in autumn. 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
3600-480: Was named the first female president of the jury, while the next year Sophia Loren became president. The 1968 festival was halted on 19 May. Some directors, such as Carlos Saura and Miloš Forman , had withdrawn their films from the competition. On 18 May filmmaker Louis Malle along with a group of directors took over the large room of the Palais and interrupted the projections in solidarity with students and labour on strike throughout France , and in protest to
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