A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors.
83-667: The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe , and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War , and brings international and local celebrities to Sarajevo every year. It is held in August and showcases an extensive variety of feature and short films from around
166-448: 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
249-408: 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
332-414: 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
415-417: A six-day training led by some of the most prominent film professionals in the world. In addition to meeting other filmmakers and film professionals, young filmmakers are introduced to the work of established film professionals, informed about current trends and issues in the industry, and introduced to the international filmmaking community. Film festival Films may be of recent date and depending upon
498-462: A year-long project development program resulting in an annual co-production market during the festival dates. The CineLink Market each year presents about 10 finest regional projects for feature-length fiction films, also offering festival guests a special opportunity to meet with the assembled regional industry, with emphasis on young filmmakers, producers and directors presenting their latest projects, productions and works in progress, with highlights of
581-488: Is Raindance Film Festival . The British Urban Film Festival (which specifically caters to Black and minority interests) was officially recognized in the 2020 New Year Honours list. A few film festivals have focused on highlighting specific issues, topics, or subjects. These festivals have included mainstream and independent films . Some examples include military films , health-related film festivals , and human rights film festivals . There are festivals, especially in
664-585: Is ÉCU The European Independent Film Festival , which started in 2006 and takes place every spring in Paris, France. Edinburgh International Film Festival is the longest-running festival in Great Britain as well as the longest continually running film festival in the world. Australia's first and longest-running film festival is the Melbourne International Film Festival (1952), followed by
747-585: Is North America’s longest-running competitive film festival. The 60th Chicago International Film Festival, scheduled during the month of October, will host over 40,000 attendees from around the world. The Festival's program, screening 175+ films from more than 50 countries, is presented in sections including the International Competition, New Directors Competition, Documentary, Black Perspectives, City & State, and Special Presentations. The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), founded in 1977,
830-672: Is a popular international film festival based in Kolkata which showcases international cult films. YathaKatha International Film & Literature Festival (YKIFLF) is an annual film & literature festival in Mumbai showcasing literature collaboration in cinema via various constructive discussions and forums. 1st edition of the festival is being held from 25–28 November in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival ( / k æ n / ; French: Festival de Cannes , [fɛstival də kan] ), until 2003 called
913-624: Is accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences , which makes all its jury-award-winning narrative short and animated short films eligible for an Academy Award. There are several significant film festivals held regularly in Africa. The Cairo International Film Festival in Cairo was established in 1976, the biannual Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso
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#1733105115711996-859: Is held in the last week of each July in the two colonial cities of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato . Other Mexican festivals include the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Guadalajara , Oaxaca Film Fest , the Morelia International Film Festival in Morelia, Michoacan Mexico , and the Los Cabos International Film Festival founded by Scott Cross , Sean Cross , and Eduardo Sanchez Navarro, in Los Cabos , Baja Sur , Mexico are considered
1079-1070: Is hosted at the National Theatre in front of which the Festival Square and the red carpet are located, with screenings at the Open-air theater Metalac, Bosnian Cultural Center , Meeting Point Cinema and five other cinemas and projection locations around the city. The festival has been attended by celebrities such as Robert De Niro , Angelina Jolie , Brad Pitt , Emile Hirsch , Orlando Bloom , Daniel Craig , Danny Glover , John Malkovich , Morgan Freeman , Oliver Stone , John Cleese , Steve Buscemi , Michael Fassbender , Jeremy Irons , Juliette Binoche , Bono Vox , Coolio , Mickey Rourke , Michael Moore , Gérard Depardieu , Darren Aronofsky , Gillian Anderson , Kevin Spacey , Eric Cantona , Benicio del Toro , Tim Roth , Mads Mikkelsen , Jesse Eisenberg , Alexander Payne , Meg Ryan and many others. By 2001,
1162-900: Is largest film festival in Ohio and among the longest-running in the United States. The film festival is held at the Playhouse Square , which are a series of elegant theaters built in the early 1920s, and the largest performing arts center in the United States outside of New York City (only Lincoln Center is larger). The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival , abbreviated OCanFilmFest, was co-founded by Ottawa-based filmmakers Jith Paul, Ed Kucerak, and Blair Campbell in 2015. It features films of various durations and genres from filmmakers across Canada. The Sundance Film Festival founded by Sterling Van Wagenen (then head of Wildwood, Robert Redford's company), John Earle, and Cirina Hampton Catania (both serving on
1245-637: 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 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
1328-497: Is one of the largest film festivals in North America. It focuses on East Asian films, Canadian films, and nonfiction films. In 2016, there was an audience of 133,000 and 324 films. The Toronto International Film Festival , founded by Bill Marshall, Henk Van der Kolk, and Dusty Cohl, is one of North America's most important film festivals, and is the most widely attended. The Chicago International Film Festival , founded in 1964,
1411-648: 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
1494-595: 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
1577-606: Is the most popular festival in North America. Time wrote it had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period". The Seattle International Film Festival is credited as being the largest film festival in the United States, regularly showing over 400 films in a month across the city. The festivals in Berlin , Cairo , Cannes , Goa , Karlovy Vary , Locarno , Mar del Plata , Moscow , San Sebastián , Shanghai , Tallinn , Tokyo , Venice , and Warsaw are accredited by
1660-511: 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
1743-579: The Berlin International Film Festival and Berlinale Talent Campus , the Sarajevo Talent Campus has been added to the festival. In 2014, the Sarajevo Talent Campus got renamed to "Talents Sarajevo". Talents Sarajevo is an educational and creative platform for up and coming young film professionals, and has eventually come to be revered as the most prestigious film training event in the region. The festival also features CineLink,
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#17331051157111826-557: 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
1909-568: The International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) in the category of competitive feature films. As a rule, for films to compete, they must first be released during the festivals and not in any other previous venue beforehand. Ann Arbor Film Festival started in 1963. It is the oldest continually operated experimental film festival in North America and has become one of the premier film festivals for independent and, primarily, experimental filmmakers to showcase work. In
1992-679: 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 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
2075-564: 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,
2158-802: The Sydney Film Festival (1954). North America's first and longest-running short film festival is the Yorkton Film Festival , established in 1947. The first film festival in the United States was the Columbus International Film & Video Festival , also known as The Chris Awards , held in 1953. According to the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco , " The Chris Awards (is) one of the most prestigious documentaries, educational, business and informational competitions in
2241-681: The Venice Film Festival (late summer to early autumn), the Cannes Film Festival (late spring to early summer), and the Berlin International Film Festival (late winter to early spring), founded in 1932, 1946, and 1951 respectively. The Edinburgh International Film Festival , founded in 1946, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. Many film festivals are dedicated exclusively to animation. Various regional festivals occur in various countries. The Austin Film Festival
2324-496: 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
2407-442: The siege of Sarajevo was still going on and attendance projections were very low. However, a surprising 15,000 people came to see the films, of which there were 37 from 15 different countries. The festival grew at a remarkable pace, now being the most prominent film festival in Southeast Europe , attracting more than 100,000 people annually on all programs and screening hundreds of films from 60 countries. The Sarajevo Film Festival
2490-723: The Academy rules. Talents Sarajevo is a program launched in 2007, under the name Sarajevo Talent Campus, in co-operation with the Berlin International Film Festival and the Berlinale Talent Campus . Talents Sarajevo is an educational and networking platform for emerging film talents from Southeast Europe ( Azerbaijan , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Bulgaria , Croatia , Greece , Hungary , Kosovo , Moldova , Montenegro , North Macedonia , Romania , Slovenia , Serbia and Turkey ). Each year, more than two hundred applications are received, and only eighty are carefully chosen to attend
2573-540: 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
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2656-411: 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
2739-735: The Dominican International Film Festival occurs annually in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic . As well as the Havana Film Festival was founded in 1979 and is the oldest continuous annual film festival in the Caribbean. Its focus is on Latin American cinema . The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival , founded in 2006, is dedicated to screening the newest films from the English-, Spanish, French- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean and
2822-633: The European Film Association made the Sarajevo Film Festival one of the eleven festivals that could nominate a film for the award of "Europe's Best Short Film". The 2001 winner of the Sarajevo Film Festival, Danis Tanović 's No Man's Land , went on to win an Oscar in the United States. In 2004, the Best Movie Award was named the " Heart of Sarajevo ". Beginning with the 13th Sarajevo Film Festival in 2007 and in cooperation with
2905-746: 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
2988-474: 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
3071-467: 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
3154-696: The Government of Kerala held annually at Thiruvananthapuram is acknowledged as one of the leading cultural events in Indian. The International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, is a major documentary and short film festival. The Mumbai Women's International Film Festival (MWIFF) is an annual film festival in Mumbai that features films made by women directors and technicians. The Calcutta International Cult Films Festival (CICFF)
3237-803: The Sarajevo Film Festival the status of the Academy Award qualifying film festival in the Short Film category. Short films that win the Heart of Sarajevo Award and the nomination for the European Film Academy (EFA) short film award at the Sarajevo Film Festival will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards without the standard theatrical run, provided that they otherwise comply with
3320-448: The U.S., Telluride Film Festival , Sundance Film Festival , Austin Film Festival , Austin 's South by Southwest , NYC 's Tribeca Festival , and Slamdance Film Festival are all considered significant festivals for independent film. The Zero Film Festival is significant as the first and only festival exclusive to self-financed filmmakers. The biggest independent film festival in the UK
3403-630: The U.S.; (it is) the oldest of its kind in North America and celebrating its 54th year". It was followed four years later by the San Francisco International Film Festival , held in March 1957, which emphasized feature-length dramatic films. The festival played a major role in introducing foreign films to American audiences. Films in the first year included Akira Kurosawa 's Throne of Blood and Satyajit Ray 's Pather Panchali . Today, thousands of film festivals take place around
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3486-589: The US, that highlight and promote films made by or about various ethnic groups and nationalities or feature the cinema from a specific foreign country. These include African-Americans , Asian-Americans , Mexican-Americans , Arabs , Jews , Italian, German , French , Palestinian , and Native American . The Deauville American Film Festival in France is devoted to the cinema of the United States . LGBTQ+ and Women's film festivals are also popular. Tribeca Festival , one of
3569-669: The Utah Film Commission at the time) is a significant festival for independent film. The Woodstock Film Festival was launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto to bring high-quality, independent films to the Hudson Valley region of New York . In 2010, Indiewire named the Woodstock Film Festival among the top 50 independent film festivals worldwide. The Regina International Film Festival and Awards (RIFFA) founded by John Thimothy, one of
3652-491: 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
3735-736: 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
3818-457: The border of Western Sahara , is notable as the only film festival in the world to take place in a refugee camp. The festival aims to provide cultural entertainment and educational opportunities to refugees and raise awareness of the plight of the Sahrawi people, who have been exiled from their native Western Sahara for more than three decades. The International Film Festival of India , organized by
3901-598: The cost of production could be lowered significantly, and internet technology allowed for the collaboration of film production. Film festivals have evolved significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic . Many festivals opted for virtual or hybrid festivals. The film industry, which was already in upheaval due to streaming options, has faced another major shift, and movies showcased at festivals have an even shorter runway to online launches. The "Big Five" film festivals are considered to be Venice , Cannes , Berlin , Toronto , and Sundance . The Toronto International Film Festival
3984-412: 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
4067-683: 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
4150-431: 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
4233-420: 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,
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#17331051157114316-411: 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
4399-407: 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
4482-419: The festival's focus, can include international and domestic releases. Some film festivals focus on a specific filmmaker, genre of film, such as horror films , or subject matter. Several film festivals focus solely on presenting short films of a defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events. Some film historians, including Jerry Beck , do not consider film festivals as official releases of
4565-413: 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
4648-466: The film. The oldest film festival in the world is the Venice Film Festival . The most prestigious film festivals in the world, known as the "Big Five", are (listed chronologically according to the date of foundation): Venice , Cannes , Berlin (the original Big Three ), Toronto , and Sundance . The Venice Film Festival in Italy began in 1932 and is the oldest film festival still running. Mainland Europe 's biggest independent film festival
4731-505: 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
4814-446: The government of India, was founded in 1952. Chennai International Film Festival has been organized since 2002 by the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), the Government of Tamil Nadu, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, and the Film Federation of India. The Jaipur International Film Festival , founded in 2009, is India's most prominent international film festival. The International Film Festival of Kerala organised by
4897-431: 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
4980-411: 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,
5063-424: 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
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#17331051157115146-481: The largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California , attracting over 56,000 attendees to Orange County, CA . The Festival partners with over 40 non-profit organizations and pairs each with a film that aligns with their mission. The films featured include World, North America, U.S. and West Coast premieres as well as the International Spotlight Series which celebrates foreign language films. The Vancouver International Film Festival , founded in 1958,
5229-421: The major international film festivals such as Cannes , Venice , Rotterdam and Berlin, chose six winning films, and the winners were: The Abandoned - Zlatko Topčić , Bosnian Pot - Vedran Fajković, Slowly - Nikola Mišić, Totally Personal - Nedžad Begović, Roses for Tosca - Branko Đurić , Simona Stražisar and Last Day - Namik Kabil. In 2019, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded
5312-422: 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
5395-407: The most important film festivals in Latin America. In 2015, Variety called the Los Cabos International Film Festival the "Cannes of Latin America". The Cartagena Film Festival , founded by Victor Nieto in 1960, is the oldest in Latin America . The Festival de Gramado (or Gramado Film Festival) Gramado , Brazil . The Lima Film Festival is the leading film festival in Peru and one of
5478-460: The most important in Latin America. It is focused on Latin-American cinema and is organized each year by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru . The Valdivia International Film Festival is held annually in the city of Valdivia . It is arguably the most important film festival in Chile . There is also Filmambiente, held in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, an international festival on environmental films and videos. For Spanish-speaking countries,
5561-528: The most prestigious in North America, ranks first worldwide in terms of audience attendance and 11th in terms of media attendance. The San Francisco International Film Festival , founded by Irving "Bud" Levin in 1957, is the oldest continuous annual film festival in the United States. It highlights current trends in international filmmaking and video production with an emphasis on work that has not yet secured U.S. distribution. The Newport Beach Film Festival , founded by Gregg Schwenk in 1999, has emerged as
5644-427: 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
5727-407: 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
5810-555: The region's diaspora. It also seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities. The Lusca Fantastic Film Fest (formerly Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest) was also founded in 2006 and is the first and only international fantastic film festival in the Caribbean devoted to sci-fi , thriller , fantasy , dark humor , bizarre, horror , anime , adventure , virtual reality , and animation in short and feature films . The most important European film festivals are
5893-464: The regional production presented to international distributors, TV-buyers and festival programmers, making CineLink the most important international market place for new features from Southeast Europe. The first edition of CineLink, which was part of the 9th Sarajevo Film Festival, was held in 2003. Of the 91 entries from across the region, a three-member jury, Philippe Bober, Behrooz Hashemian and Čedomir Kolar, producers whose films have won awards at all
5976-451: 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
6059-482: The top leading international film festivals in western Canada ( Regina, Saskatchewan ) represented 35 countries in 2018 festival. RIFFA annual Award show and red carpet arrival event are getting noticed in the contemporary film and fashion industries in Western Canada . Toronto's Hot Docs , founded by filmmaker Paul Jay, is a North American documentary film festival. Toronto has the largest number of film festivals in
6142-404: 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
6225-521: 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
6308-455: The world, ranging from cultural, independent, and historic films. The Seattle International Film Festival , which screens 270 features and approximately 150 short films, is the largest American film festival in terms of the number of feature productions. The Expresión en Corto International Film Festival is the largest competitive film festival in Mexico . It specializes in emerging talent and
6391-457: The world. The current director of the festival is Jovan Marjanović. In October 1993, a ten-day Sarajevo International Film Festival was held, directed by Haris Pašović of MESS . The success of this event, combined with the legacy of Mirsad Purivatra's and Izeta Građević's wartime film screenings from 1992, led to the establishment of an annual festival. The first Sarajevo Film Festival was held from 25 October to 5 November 1995. At that time,
6474-478: The world—from high-profile festivals such as Sundance Film Festival , Newport Beach Film Festival , and Slamdance Film Festival ( Park City, Utah ), to horror festivals such as Terror Film Festival ( Philadelphia ), and the Park City Film Music Festival , the first U.S. film festival dedicated to honoring music in film. Film Funding competitions such as Writers and Filmmakers were introduced when
6557-595: 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
6640-566: Was established in 1969 and accepts competition-only films by African filmmakers and chiefly produced in Africa. The annual Durban International Film Festival in South Africa and Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania have grown in importance for the film and entertainment industry, as they often screen the African premieres of many international films. The Nairobi Film Festival (NBO), which
6723-558: Was established in 2016 with a special focus on screening exceptional films from around the world that are rarely presented in Nairobi's mainstream cinema and spotlighting the best Kenyan films, has also been growing in popularity over the years and has improved the cinema-going culture in Kenya. The Sahara International Film Festival , held annually in the Sahrawi refugee camps in western Algeria near
6806-521: 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
6889-480: 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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