In 1946 the Cannes Festival was born!
How was the Cannes Festival born?
The Cannes Film Festival was created in response to political events that took place during the Venice Film Festival in 1938.
At that time, the Venice Festival was the only international film festival, but it was controlled by Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator.
At the 1938 festival, the jury awarded the top prizes to Nazi propaganda films, which caused an international outcry.
In response, France decided to create its own international film festival.
The first Festival de Cannes was supposed to take place in 1939, but was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II.
The festival finally took place for the first time in 1946.
1946, the 1st films presented
The first Cannes Film Festival took place from September 20th to October 5th 1946.
There was no official competition as we know it today, but 21 films were presented.
Here are some of the notable films that were screened:
- "The Pastoral Symphony" by Jean Delannoy (France)
- "Notorious" by Alfred Hitchcock (USA)
- "Brief Encounter" by David Lean (United Kingdom)
- "The Lost Weekend" by Billy Wilder (USA)
- "Rome, open city" (Rome, open city) by Roberto Rossellini (Italy)
- "Gilda" by Charles Vidor (USA)
- "Anna and the King of Siam" by John Cromwell (USA)
- "The Captive Heart" by Basil Dearden (United Kingdom)
- "La Bataille du rail" (The Battle of the Rail) by René Clément (France)
- "The Murderers Are Among Us" (The Assassins Are Among Us) by Wolfgang Staudte (Germany)
- "Dunia" by Mohammed Karim (Egypt)
- "The Last Chance by Leopold Lindtberg (Switzerland)
- "The Great Glinka" by Lev Arnchtam (Soviet Union)
- "The Stone Flower" by Alexandr Ptushko (Soviet Union)
- "The Turning Point" by Fridrikh Ermler (Soviet Union)
- "Les Amants de Vérone" (The Lovers of Verona) by André Cayatte (France)
- "Neecha Nagar" by Chetan Anand (India)
- "The Bandit by Alberto Lattuada (Italy)
- "Paisà" by Roberto Rossellini (Italy)
- "Men Without Wings" by František Čáp (Czechoslovakia).
- "The Third Man by Carol Reed (UK)
It should be noted that "The Third Man" is often cited as having been presented at the first festival, but it was actually presented at the 1949 festival, since the Cannes Film Festival has become one of the most prestigious and famous film festivals in the world, attracting directors, actors and film lovers from around the world.
Festival de cannes 2023 , tribute to Michael Douglas
In 2023, 75 years after the opening, the Cannes Film Festival pays tribute to Michael Douglas during the Opening Ceremony.
this Tuesday, May 16th.
To complete the tribute to him, a new documentary by Amine Mestari, produced by Folamour and soon to be broadcast on Arte, will be visible for two days on the Festival site, from Sunday May 14 at 6pm to Tuesday May 16 at 6pm.
Discover the official website of the Cannes International Film Festival