The Cannes Film Festival A Brief History January 20, 2012 at 8:51 pm
The seaside resort town of Cannes in the French Riviera is known for its luxurious hotels, restaurants and shops; but the city’s most noteworthy claim to fame is the annual Cannes Film Festival. Founded in 1946, the Cannes Film Festival is the most prestigious celebration of international cinematography in existence, and has launched numerous world-renowned films and acting careers. Although the annual fete is known as a posh, A-list celebrity event today, it began as a casual social gathering where international filmmakers came together to honor each and every film entry.
In its humble beginnings, the film festival functioned primarily as a social event where the majority of movies won an award, but thanks to “the appearance of stars from around the world on the Festival’s red carpet and increasing media coverage, [it] quickly earned it a legendary international reputation,” says the official Cannes Film Festival website. While the initial events of the festival were more casual and judges far less discerning, it still served as a forum wherein filmmakers from all over the globe could gather to share their passion and showcase their work.
The Palme d’Or is the highest award given at the event, and is presented to the director of the best feature film in the competition. Some of the more famous films that received the prestigious Palme d’Or award are:
• The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952)
• The Red Balloon (1956)
• La Dolce Vita (1960)
• M*A*S*H (1970)
• Taxi Driver (1976)
• Wild At Heart (1990)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• The Pianist (2002)
• Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
One of the more recent developments within the Cannes Film Festival was the creation of a new section entitled Cannes Short Film, which “grouped the Short Film Competition and the Short Film Corner in a complementary dynamic that aims to offer an overall view on the worldwide production of shorts.” The impact of the film festival has become a valuable outlet for European films. Because the mainstream film industry caters chiefly to universally palatable blockbusters and the like, the Cannes Film Festival serves to expose, celebrate and reward European filmmaking for its artistic qualities. The opportunity for European films to gain exposure introduces a different perspective on cinematography, fostering the notion that European cinema is “art” cinema.
The Cannes Film festival may have become a celebrity spectacle, but its intended purpose remains the same: to bring films and film professionals together to honor the industry’s lesser known, magnificent talents.
