CANNES, France (AP) 鈥� The is hallowed ground in cinema but understanding its unique landscape can be confounding.
The C么te d鈥橝zur festival, which is a 10-day ballet of spectacle and film where even the photographers wear tuxedos, standing ovations are timed with stopwatches and movies tend to be referred to by the names of their directors 鈥� 鈥渢he Almod贸var,鈥� 鈥渢he Malick,鈥� 鈥渢he Coppola.鈥�
From the outside, From the inside, it can be But grasping some of Cannes' quirks and traditions can help you understand just what is unspooling in the south of France and what, exactly, a Palm Dog is.
WHY DOES CANNES MATTER?
The short answer is that Cannes is the largest and arguably most significant film festival, and few care more deeply about than the French. This is where cinema was born and it鈥檚 where it鈥檚 most closely guarded. It鈥檚 not a coincidence that to enter the Palais des Festivals, the central hub, you must climb 24 red-carpeted steps, as if you鈥檙e ascending into
Cannes is attracting filmmakers, producers and journalists It鈥檚 a little like for film; countries set up their own tents in an international village. Because Cannes is also the largest film market in the world, many who come here are trying to sell their movies or looking to buy up rights. Deal-making, though not quite the frenzy it once was, happens in hotel rooms along the Croisette, aboard yachts docked in the harbor and, yes, on Zoom calls.
But aside from to filmmakers and executives, Cannes is a draw for its shimmering Since the days of stars like and Cannes has been renown as a sun-kissed
HOW OLD IS CANNES?
Originally called the International Film Festival, Cannes was born in the lead-up to World War II. Venice had launched in 1932, but in 1938, fascist influence on Venice was pervasive. The French government in 1939 chose the tourist destination of Cannes as the place for a new festival 鈥� though because of the war, the first edition wasn鈥檛 held until 1946. This year鈥檚 festival is the 77th edition.
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE 鈥楥ANNES鈥�?
Many people say the name of the French city and its eponymous festival wrong. Here鈥檚 what you should picture in your head: A can of soup. The pronunciation is closer to 鈥渃an鈥� than it is 鈥渃on.鈥� And definitely not several cans of soup 鈥� the 鈥渟鈥� is silent.
WHAT IS IT LIKE ON THE GROUND?
The hive of activity is the Palais, a massive complex by the sea full of cinemas with names like Bu帽uel, Bazin and, the granddaddy, the Grand Th茅芒tre Lumi猫re. This is where runs in Cannes, nightly hosting beneath a glass canopy flanked by rows of photographers. Festival cars ferry stars and directors who are ushered down the carpet and up the steps. Unlike most movie premieres, there are no reporters on the carpet.
Filmmakers and casts instead face questions from the media the day after their premieres, at a press conference preceded by a photo call. The press conferences can be atypically newsy, too; after Danish director Lars von Trier declared 鈥淚 am a Nazi鈥� at a Cannes press conference in 2011, he was by the festival for years.
for headphone-wearing reporters. Inside the Palais, bleary-eyed attendees are treated to gratis espresso.
Down the Croisette, the oceanside, palm tree-lined promenade of Cannes, there are regal old hotels like the Carlton and the Martinez from where festival attendees flow in and out, interviews might be happening on balconies as autograph-seeking fans gather outside in throngs. After-parties are typically held in clubs across the Croisette, by the beach.
WHO ATTENDS?
Unlike public festivals like or , Cannes is industry-only and largely out of reach for most moviegoers. That doesn鈥檛 stop the desperate, tuxedo-clad ticket seekers who hold signs outside the Palais on the chance someone has an extra, or the photo-takers who stand on small ladders near the red carpet.
Cannes is rigorously hierarchical, with a system of color-coded badges regulating access. If you hear about a film being booed at Cannes 鈥� even was famously jeered before winning the Palme d鈥橭r 鈥� it's usually at a press screening.
The premieres, largely attended by industry professionals, are where the prolonged standing ovations take place. But this, like many things at Cannes, is After the credits role, a cameraman rushes in, with his footage fed live to the screen. He goes down the aisles, giving the audience a chance to and each star. No one is just cheering for a dark movie screen.
WHAT DOES 鈥業N COMPETITION鈥� MEAN?
Cannes hierarchy is in the lineup, too. Attention focuses most on the films usually around 20 movies competing for the Palme d鈥橭r, the festival鈥檚 top award. Past winners include 鈥淎pocalypse Now,鈥� 鈥淧ulp Fiction,鈥� and 鈥淧arasite.鈥� Last year, Winners are chosen by a jury of nine that changes every year. This year鈥檚 is presided over by Greta Gerwig.
Competition is only one section, though. Many high-profile films might play out of competition, as 鈥淔uriosa: A Mad Max Saga鈥� is this year. Un Certain Regard gathers a lineup of original or daring films. First and second films play in the sidebar Critics鈥� Week. There are also midnight selections and the recently launched Premiere sidebar, which also takes some overflow for films that didn鈥檛 fit into competition. Restorations and documentaries play in Cannes Classics.
And down the Croisette, separate from the official selection, is the or the Quinzaine, a parallel showcase launched in 1969 by a group of French filmmakers after the 1968 Cannes was canceled.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PALM DOG?
There are many other prizes, too, even an unofficial one created by journalists called (sadly, not the Palme D'Og), for the best canine in Cannes. Last year, that honor went to
Created in 2001, the annual award and its spinoff categories is decided by a jury of reporters. Past winners have included (2011) and Sayuri, who played the heroic pit bull in (2019).
As for the reigning champ, in town again as a correspawndent of sorts for French television.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
