Cannes

Cannes Classics 2022

Jean Eustache’s The Mother and the Whore © Bernard Prim

Jean Eustache’s The Mother and the Whore as grand opening to Cannes Classics, two episodes of Ethan Hawke’s event series on Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, a tribute to Gérard Philipe, Patrick Dewaere being gone for 40 years, one last conversation with Jean-Claude Carrière, the Cinemateca Brasileira and Glauber Rocha, Pilipino director Mike De Leon, Arrabal the poet, a Czech new wave masterpiece, a close-up on Romy Schneider, one last goodbye to Fernando Solanas, a salute to Souleyman Cissé from his daughter.

There will also be India as Country of Honor, The Film Foundation and the World Cinema Project, an homage to Indian Cinema, the 70th anniversary of Singin’ In The Rain, Orson Welles and Kafka, a continuation of Vittorio movie restorations, De Sicca and Duvivier’s timeless classics, Robbie Robertson’s The Band for their last show. And a last a double Olympic feature with the official film of the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 directed by 8 directors from the whole world and the one presented as world premiere of the Olympic Games in Tokyo directed by Naomi Kawase.
This is Cannes Classics 2022.

The Mother and the Whore back in the theater!

50 years after it began filming, The Mother and the Whore’s rerelease World Premier will happen May the 17th at 2 pm in Salle Debussy, in the presence of François Lebrun, Jean-Pierre Léaud and Boris Eustache. Winner of the Grand Prix du Jury presided by actress Ingrid Bergmann in 1973 and winner of the Prix de la Critique, this movie caused riots at the time. Rarely seen, The Mother and the Whore will once again grace French theaters June 8th, before the rerelease of Jean Eustache’s entire body of work, slated in 2023.
La Maman et la putain (The Mother and the Whore)
Jean Eustache
1972, 3h40, France
4K digital restoration of The Mother and the Whore was done in 2022 by Les Films du Losange, with backing from the CNC and participation from the Cinémathèque Suisse. Image restoration was done by Immagine Ritrovata Laboratories, supervised by Jacques Besse and Boris Eustache. Sound restoration was provided by Léon Rousseau of L.E. Diapason.
Screening in the presence of Françoise Lebrun, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Boris Eustache

India as Country of Honor

Right as the Marché du Film chose India as country of honor this year, a brand new restoration of Indian director, writer Satyajit Ray’s rare movie Pratidwandi will be presented in an exclusive screening. Present at the Festival de Cannes since 1956 with Pather panchali, Satyajit Ray will have left his mark on the world of cinema with his great body of work.
Pratidwandi (The Adversary)
Satyajit Ray
1970, 1h49, India
Presented by NFDC – National Film Archive of India, the film is restored under National Film Heritage Mission, a project undertaken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. The original 35mm Camera Negative, which was scanned in 4K on ARRISCAN XT, and the original 35mm Sound Negative were provided by producer Ms. Purnima Dutta for this restoration. Few portions of the negative were damaged and were instead scanned from a 35mm Release Print. The restoration was carried out by Prime Focus Technologies, Mumbai, and grading was supervised by renowned Indian cinematographer, Mr. Sudeep Chatterjee.

Singin’ in the Rain’s 70th anniversary

Just in time for the 70th anniversary of Singin’ In The Rain, this iconic movie will be presented in a brand new 4K restoration. An homage to musicals, ode to the art of filmmaking and love letter to human creation, this monument of American cinema detailing the transition from silent film to talkies will be screening on the Croisette.
Singin’ in the Rain
Gene Kelly et Stanley Donen
1952, 1h43, États-Unis
A Warner Bros. presentation. The new 4K master has been created by meticulously aligning the 3 separate masters obtained from the original Technicolor negatives. Warner Bros. Imaging carefully scanned each of the black and white “recordings” representing the primary colors Red, Green and Blue. The results present the phenomenal Technicolor photography as it has never been seen before.
This is a great leap forward from previous remasters: For the movie’s 50th anniversary, in 2002, Warner Bros. exclusive Ultra-Resolution technology had been used to realign the separation masters, which was at the time a great stride forward. In 2012, for the 60th anniversary, the process was improved greatly with the Blu-Ray release.

Now, for the 70th anniversary, the use of cutting-edge image-realignment and image-separation technology is a remarkable step forward, with results that look even-more brand new than the initial release. Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging used the transfer of the original archived Technicolor dyes as reference for the new master’s color grading, creating an even better image resolution with the use of HDR, making the color palette more vibrant than it’s ever been. For the audio, the new 4K copy offers the audience a new 5.1 mix derived from the original MGM tapes produced during the making of the movie and the best audio technology to offer an even clearer soundtrack than that of the original.

Restoration World Premieres

Sciuscià
Vittorio de Sica
1946, 1h33, Italy
Presented by The Film Foundation and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna. Restored in 4K by The Film Foundation and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata in association with Orium S.A. Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
Thamp (The Circus Tent)
Aravindan Govindan
1978, 2h09, India
A presentation of Film Heritage Foundation, India. Restored by Film Heritage Foundation, The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, Cineteca di Bologna at Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd.’s Post – Studios, Chennai, and L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, and in association with General Pictures, National Film Archive of India and the family of Aravindan Govindan. Funding provided by Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd. and Film Heritage Foundation.
The Trial
Orson Welles
1962, 2h, France / Germany / Italy
This restoration was produced in 2022 by STUDIO CANAL and the Cinémathèque Française. The image and sound restoration were done at the Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory (Paris-Bologne), using the original 35mm negative. This project was supervised by STUDIO CANAL, Sophie Boyer and Jean-Pierre Boiget. The restoration was funded thanks to the patronage of Chanel.
If I Were a Spy…
Bertrand Blier
1967, 1h34, France
Presented by Pathé. 4k restoration, done scanning the original negative film. A project undertaken by the Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory (Paris-Bologne). Restoration funded by the Centre national du cinema et de l’image animée (CNC).
Poil de Carotte
Julien Duvivier
1932, 1h31, France
A TF1 presentation. New 4K restoration done by TF1 studios, with the backing of CNC, using the original nitrate negative and a combined dupe negative on non-flammable film. Digital and photochemical work done in 2021 by the Hiventy laboratory.
The Last Waltz
Martin Scorsese
1978, 1h57, USA
MGM Studios’ THE LAST WALTZ (1978) is presented by Park Circus thanks to a new 4K digital restoration from the Criterion Collection, approved by director Martin Scorsese. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, this new 4K digital restoration of THE LAST WALTZ was created from a scan of the 35mm original camera negative made in 16-bit 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director Film scanner at Roundabout Entertainment in Burbank, California. A 35mm print courtesy of Sikelia Productions was used as a color reference. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was remixed from the original two-inch 24-track magnetic masters in 2001 by Ted Hall at POP Sound in Santa Monica, California, under the supervision of Robbie Robertson. Stereo mixes and stems made by Robertson’s mixer Dan Gellert and approved by Robertson were used in the creation of the 5.1 surround mix.
Itim
Mike De Leon
1976, 1h45, Philippines
A Mike De Leon presentation, distributed in France by Carlotta Films. Restoration done using the original 35mm negative and optical soundtrack, stored at the British Film Institute. The negative, scanned in 4K, benefited from a 2K digital restoration done at the Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, Bologna. Color grading was supervised by the director, Mike De Leon, and his co-director of photography, Rody Laccap. This presentation is a preview of the French release of Mike De Leon’s entire restored body of work, slated 2022-2023.
Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol
Glauber Rocha
1964, 2h, Brazil
Presented by Metropoles.com and Paloma Cinematográfica. Restored from the original 35mm negative preserved at Cinemateca Brasileira and with a brand new 4K restoration by Estudios Cinecolor and Estudios JLS, Cinematographer Luis Abramo/Rogerio Moraes and with the supervision of Rodrigo Mercês.
Sedmikrásky (Daisies)
Vera Chytilová
1966, 1h14, Czech Republic
Digital restoration of this film funded by the donation of Mrs. Milada Kučerová and Mr. Eduard Kučera was carried out by Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in collaboration with the Národní filmový archiv, Prague and the Czech Film Fund in UPP and Soundsquare. The sources for the digitization were the original image negative, the original sound negative and original magnetic mixing tapes. Film materials are preserved by the Národní filmový archiv, Prague. The restoration was done in 2022. Release in French theaters by Malavida.
Viva la muerte
Fernando Arrabal
1971, 1h30, France / Tunisia
Viva la Muerte! was scanned and restored in 4K by the Cinémathèque de Toulouse using the original 35mm image negative, the original 35mm sound negative of the French version, and a 35mm interpositive element containing the end credits missing from the original negative.
The image digitization and restoration were done by the Cinémathèque de Toulouse laboratory, in collaboration with Fernando Arrabal.
The sound digitization and restoration were done by the L.E. Diapason studio.
The restoration was finished in 2022.
This restoration was made possible thanks to the unfailing support of Fernand Arrabal, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Tunisia, Mohamed Challouf (Ciné-Sud Patrimoine Association) and Mr. Samir Zgaya (Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Tunisia).

Documentaries

JOANNE WOODWARD & PAUL NEWMAN BY ETHAN HAWKE
The Last Movie Stars
Ethan Hawke, episodes 3 and 4
1h47, USA
Actor, director and producer Ethan Hawke and executive producer Martin Scorsese explore the lives and careers of actors Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, in a captivating, intellectual, and moving documentary. This carefully crafted film, featuring Karen Allen, George Clooney, Oscar Isaac, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Zoe Kazan, Laura Linney and Sam Rockwell, among others who voice interviews of Elia Kazan, Sydney Pollock, Paul Newman, Jacqueline Witte, and more in an incredible exploration of the iconic couple and American cinema. It is revealed in six chapters, two of which will be screened in the presence of Ethan Hawke.
Presented by Nook House Productions, Under the Influence Productions, CNN Films, and HBOMax.
Screening in the presence of Ethan Hawke and Clea Newman Soderlund
Romy, A Free Woman
written by Lucie Cariès and Clémentine Déroudille, directed by Lucie Cariès
1h31, France
Romy Schneider has been En Compétition ever since 1957 with Sissi, before coming back to the Croisette multiple times, notably for Claude Sautet’s Les Choses de la vie. This exceptional documentary recounts her illustrious career with passion and dedication. A Zadig Productions production, in association with Diaphana Films and with the participation of France Télévisions.
Screening in the presence of Lucie Cariès and Clémentine Deroudille
Jane Campion, Cinema Woman
Julie Bertuccelli
1h38, France
Director Julie Bertuccelli paints Jane Campion’s portrait with great precision, humor and admiration, telling the tale of the first-ever woman to win the Palme d’Or in 1993. A Les Films du Poisson production, co-produced by ARTE France.
Screening in the presence of Julie Bertuccelli.
Gérard Philipe, le dernier hiver du Cid
Patrick Jeudy
1h06, France
An adaptation of Jérôme Garcin’s novel Le dernier hiver du cid, this documentary built exclusively on archive footage and a delicate story telling style will permit a Cannes style celebration of Gerard Philipe’s 100th birthday anniversary. He will also be coming back to the Croisette through the screening of Fanfan la tulipe. Produced by Temps Noir, with the participation of France Télévisions and the backing of the CNC and the PROCIRED.
Screening in the presence of Patrick Jeudy, Jérôme Garcin and Anne-Marie Philipe.
Patrick Dewaere, mon héros (Patrick Dewaere, My Hero)
Alexandre Moix
1h30, France
The actress Lola Dewaere recounts the film career and traumatic life of celebrated actor Patrick Dewaere, the father she never knew, under the watchful eye of director Alexandre Moix. A Zoom Production and Bleu Kobalt coproduction, with the participation of France Télévisions, the RTS, and the RTBF, with Studiocanal.
Screening in the presence of Alexandre Moix and Lola Dewaere.
Hommage d’une fille à son père
Fatou Cissé
1h11, Mali
Fatou Cissé accompanies her father, malien director Souleymane Cissé, through a trip down his film career, painting an intimate and poetic picture of one of Africa’s most celebrated actors. A les films Cisse/Sise filimu production.
Screening in the presence of Fatou Cissé and Souleymane Cissé.
L’Ombre de Goya par Jean-Claude Carrière
José Luis Lopez-Linares
1h30, France / Spain / Portugal
It is with great emotion that we rediscover the magical langage of the late screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière, as he researches the painter Goya. An incredible trip through culture, emotion, cinema, painting and Spain. A French-Hispanic-Portugese coproduction: Mondex et Cie/Lopezlifilms/Zampa Audiovisual/Fado Filmes. With backing from Eurimages, CINÉ+, the Amis du Louvre, RTVE, the ICAA and RTP. International sales: RESERVOIR DOCS.
Screening in the presence of José Luis Lopez Linares.
Tres en la deriva del acto creativo (Three in the Drift of the Creative Act)
Fernando Solanas
1h36, Argentina
Last homage to the great director Fernando Solanas, dear to our hearts, who came multiple times in Competition to the Festival and two times to Cannes Classics. Through this documentary rich in sensibility and visual flair aided by stunning graphics, “Pino” Solanas evokes creation. ACinesur s.a. production, with the backing of the INCAA (Instituto Nacional de CIne y Artes Audiovisuales).
Screening in the presence of Victoria and Juan Solanas, and Gaspar Noé

Finally, the Festival de Cannes will host a double screening to celebrate the film work of the International Olympic Committee. Indeed, since the first Games were filmed by the cinema, the IOC has never ceased to encourage filmmakers to film sport until deciding to produce official films. In 2020, the year when the Tokyo Games were postponed, then in 2021, it was the Japanese filmmaker who was in charge of directing which film will be presented in preview. To accompany this presentation and salute this initiative which will also continue for the Paris 2024 Games, Cannes Classics will screen the official film of the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, Visions of Eight, which brings together Miloš Forman, Youri Ozerov, Claude Lelouch, Mai Zetterling, Michael Pfleghar, Kon Ichikawa, Arthur Penn, John Schlesinger.
Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Side A
Naomi Kawase
1h59
Japanese director Naomi Kawase directed the official film of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with her style and all her subtlety. A strong work on sport, Japan and the union of nations. A real message that goes beyond the physical exploit to mark souls. To discover absolutely on the big screen in Cannes to be swept away by its beauty. An IOC, TOCOG, and KINOSHITA GROUP production.
Naomi Kawase in attendance.
Visions of Eight
Miloš Forman, Youri Ozerov, Claude Lelouch, Mai Zetterling, Michael Pfleghar, Kon Ichikawa, Arthur Penn, John Schlesinger
1973, 1h49, Allemagne / États-Unis
Back at Cannes, this incredible project, which had its world premiere at the Festival in 1973, was shot by directors who each filmed different sports with their own eye. The film impressed with its ambition, its power and dynamism, each filmmaker having chosen a sport. For example Miloš Forman, the decathlon, Kon Ichikawa, the 100 meters, John Schlesinger, the marathon, Mai Zetterling, the strongest athletes as well as Claude Lelouch the camera of whom lingers on the losers.
A must-see again in 2023, 50 years later.
Claude Lelouch in attendance.

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Studio Ghibli Honorary Palme d’or of the 77th Cannes Film Festival

Studio Ghibli Honorary Palme d’or of the 77th Cannes Film Festival APRIL 17, 2024 The Festival de Cannes is honoring a cinema legend, awarding its Honorary Palme d’or for the first time to a group: Studio Ghibli.

Alongside the Hollywood greats, the Japanese studio embodied by two superb storytellers, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and a host of cult characters, has unleashed a fresh wind on animated film over the past four decades.

I am truly honored and delighted that the studio is awarded the Honorary Palme d’or,” declares Toshio Suzuki, co-founder of the Studio Ghibli. “I would like to thank the Festival de Cannes from the bottom of my heart. Forty years ago, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and I established Studio Ghibli with the desire to bring high-level, high-quality animation to children and adults of all ages. Today, our films are watched by people all over the world, and many visitors come to the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka and Ghibli Park to experience the world of our films for themselves. We have truly come a long way for Studio Ghibli to become such a big organization. Although Miyazaki and I have aged considerably, I am sure that Studio Ghibli will continue to take on new challenges, led by the staff who will carry on the spirit of the company. It would be my greatest pleasure if you look forward to what’s next.”

With this Honorary Palme d’or, Studio Ghibli joins those who have inspired cinematography, whom the Festival de Cannes celebrates every year. “For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Iris Knobloch, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate. “Like all the icons of the Seventh Art, these characters populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity”.

The Festival de Cannes was an early explorer of the animated film adventure. In the early years, Walt Disney productions presented short films (1946) and the feature Dumbo (1947). In 1953, Walt Disney himself took Peter Pan to the Croisette, where René Laloux won a special Jury Prize in 1973 for his first feature, Fantastic Planet. After a long absence, animation returned to Cannes in force with Shrek (2001) and Shrek 2 (2004), Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), Persepolis (2007), Waltz with Bashir (2008), which all received awards in the Competition, or even Up, which opened the Festival in 2009. Many other films, such as Kirikou and the Wild Beasts, Inside Out, The Summit of the Gods and more recently, Elemental, and Robot Dreams have also left their mark. Moreover, Un Certain Regard welcomed The Red Turtle (2016), Studios Ghibli’s first collaboration with a European production company.

It all began 40 years ago. The success of Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984 enabled him to establish Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata in 1985. They achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market. Producer Toshio Suzuki, a key studio member from the start and soon assuming a full time role, he managed the studio with formidable efficiency, establishing perfect complementarity between the projects of Miyazaki and Takahata, by turns producers and directors.

In 1988, with the simultaneous release of Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro, these outstanding creative artists achieved a double success. In 1992, Studio Ghibli was able to begin financing its own feature films with Porco Rosso. In the early years, only the two founders directed their films, but gradually young auteurs such as Goro Miyazaki and Hiromasa Yonebayashi distinguished themselves and joined the Studio.

In four decades and over twenty feature films, Studio Ghibli won over its audiences with works imbued with poetry and with humanistic and environmental commitments. With Porco Rosso, Pom Poko, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbors the Yamadas, The Wind Rises and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, Studio Ghibli has delivered stories that are as personal as they are universal. They have won prestigious awards, including both the Golden Bear and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Spirited Away, and more recently another Oscar for The Boy and the Heron.

In Europe as in the United States, these films are among the animators’ most acclaimed work, between art for art and the commercial challenges of the industry. They are true models, as much for the quality of their writing, directing and animation as for their commitment to extensive aesthetic aspirations. In 2001, the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka opened on the outskirts of Tokyo to showcase the animators’ work and rich heritage, as well as to show short films created for the museum, thus asserting the Studio’s cultural importance. In 2022, the Ghibli Park, a hybrid park facility expressing the world of Studio Ghibli, opened in Aichi Prefecture. Goro Miyazaki, the first Director of the Ghibli Museum, was appointed the Creative Development Director to oversee the park construction.

Cannes

The Official Selection of the 77th Cannes Film Festival unveiled!

Announcement of the Official Selection 2024 © Mathilde Petit / FDC

The Official Selection for the 77th Festival de Cannes was unveiled on 11 April at 11a.m., during the annual meeting with the French and international press, in the presence of Iris Knobloch, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate.

Discover the list of feature films selected in Competition, Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition, Midnight Screenings, Cannes Premiere and Special Screenings.

IN COMPETITION

Film d’ouverture

LE DEUXIÈME ACTE by Quentin DUPIEUX – Out of Competition
(THE SECOND ACT)

THE APPRENTICE by Ali ABBASI

MOTEL DESTINO by Karim AÏNOUZ

BIRD by Andrea ARNOLD

EMILIA PEREZ by Jacques AUDIARD

ANORA by Sean BAKER

MEGALOPOLIS by Francis Ford COPPOLA

THE SHROUDS by David CRONENBERG

THE SUBSTANCE by Coralie FARGEAT

GRAND TOUR by Miguel GOMES

MARCELLO MIO by Christophe HONORÉ

FENG LIU YI DAI by JIA Zhang-Ke
(CAUGHT BY THE TIDES)

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT by Payal KAPADIA

KINDS OF KINDNESS by Yórgos LÁNTHIMOS

L’AMOUR OUF by Gilles LELLOUCHE

DIAMANT BRUT by Agathe RIEDINGER | 1er film
(WILD DIAMOND)

OH CANADA by Paul SCHRADER

LIMONOV – THE BALLAD by Kirill SEREBRENNIKOV

PARTHENOPE by Paolo SORRENTINO

PIGEN MED NÅLEN by Magnus VON HORN
(THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE)

UN CERTAIN REGARD

NORAH by Tawfik ALZAIDI

THE SHAMELESS by Konstantin BOJANOV

LE ROYAUME by Julien COLONNA | 1st film

VINGT DIEUX ! by Louise COURVOISIER | 1st film

LE PROCÈS DU CHIEN by Laetitia DOSCH | 1st film
(WHO LET THE DOG BITE?)

GOU ZHEN by GUAN Hu
(BLACK DOG)

THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE by Mo HARAWE | 1st film

SEPTEMBER SAYS by Ariane LABED | 1st film

L’HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE by Boris LOJKINE

THE DAMNED by Roberto MINERVINI

ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL by Rungano NYONI

BOKU NO OHISAMA by Hiroshi OKUYAMA
(MY SUNSHINE)

SANTOSH by Sandhya SURI

VIET AND NAM by TRUONG Minh Quý

ARMAND by Halfdan ULLMANN TØNDEL | 1st film

OUT OF COMPETITION

SHE’S GOT NO NAME by CHAN Peter Ho-Sun

HORIZON, AN AMERICAN SAGA by Kevin COSTNER

RUMOURS by Evan JOHNSON, Galen JOHNSON, Guy MADDIN

FURIOSA : A MAD MAX SAGA by George MILLER

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIOR WALLED IN by Soi CHEANG

THE SURFER by Lorcan FINNEGAN

LES FEMMES AU BALCON by Noémie MERLANT
(THE BALCONETTES)

I, THE EXECUTIONER by RYOO Seung Wan

CANNES PREMIÈRE

EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA by Nabil AYOUCH

C’EST PAS MOI by Leos CARAX

EN FANFARE by Emmanuel COURCOL
(THE MATCHING BANG)

MISÉRICORDE by Alain GUIRAUDIE

LE ROMAN DE JIM by Arnaud LARRIEU and Jean-Marie LARRIEU

RENDEZ-VOUS AVEC POL POT by Rithy PANH

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

LE FIL by Daniel AUTEUIL

ERNEST COLE, LOST AND FOUND by Raoul PECK

THE INVASION by Sergei LOZNITSA

APPRENDRE by Claire SIMON

LA BELLE DE GAZA by Yolande ZAUBERMAN

Cannes

77th edition, the Cannes film festival launches its Immersive Competition

Because there are now original works that are pushing the boundaries of storytelling, the Cannes film festival will introduce a new competition, the “Immersive Competition” for its 77th edition.

In 2017, Alejandro González Iñárritu made history at the 70th edition of the Cannes film festival with his groundbreaking virtual reality piece, Carne y Arena (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible) marking the first immersive work ever presented as an official selection at a major film festival. Recognized for his pioneering vision, Iñárritu received a special Academy Award for the project and continues to be a prominent figure at the Cannes film festival (even serving as President of the Jury in 2019).

Seven years since its first immersive selection and in line with the Marché du Film’s commitment to exploring new technologies and art forms through its innovative-focused programs, the Cannes film festival is thrilled to announce the creation of the new Immersive Competition for its upcoming 77th edition. The competition aims to spotlight the next generation of international artists who are redefining storytelling and inventing new narrative-driven experiences that move beyond the traditional two-dimensional cinema screen.

With the support of the CNC (National Center for Cinema and the moving image), the competition will feature immersive, collective and interactive works that utilize virtual reality, augmented reality and other cutting-edge technologies to transcend conventional storytelling and transport audiences to other worlds, narratives and eras.

For its inaugural edition, a committee of industry experts and Cannes film festival representatives, under the supervision of the General Delegate of the Cannes film festival, will select eight immersive works in competition. Additionally, a curated selection of non-competitive works, illustrating the synergy between immersive experiences and cinema, will complement the program.

The selected works will be accessible to Cannes film festival and Marché du Film attendees throughout the Festival, from May 15 to 24. The works will be displayed in a 1300m2 exhibition space at the Cannes Cineum – the cinema complex of Cannes La Bocca – and the Georges Méliès Campus, a university institution dedicated to creative writing and film.

The in-competition works will compete for the Best Immersive Work prize. An international jury composed of notable figures from cinema and immersive art will present the award at a special closing ceremony, celebrating the creativity and innovation of immersive artists.

Alongside the Immersive Competition, the Marché du Film will continue to explore the commercial and technical aspects of the immersive sector through a lineup of conferences, expert panels, demonstrations and professional networking events.

In what promises to be already a significant year, the City of Cannes is also set to announce the launch of Cannes Immersive, patronised by artist Jean-Michel Jarre and supported by the CNC. This new program aims to position Cannes as a global hub for immersive creations and the emerging artistic domain of artificial intelligence (AI). Cannes Immersive will unfold through the launch of innovative events, strategically designed to elevate Cannes’ status as a premier destination for immersive cultural experiences, which will be seamlessly integrated into both existing and future Cannes events. Furthermore, it will establish a permanent immersive venue in Cannes, serving as a showcase for the most exceptional immersive creations, whether assisted or generated by AI.