Answer

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction. 3

2.0 Description. 3

3.0 History. 4

4.0 Objectives and Aims. 5

5.0 Success Factors. 6

6.0 Marketing. 7

7.0 Impact 7

8.0 Conclusion. 8

The Cannes Film Festival

1.0 Introduction

The Cannes Film festival is an international event that is, often, held annually to nurture upcoming talent and promote the advancement of the film industry. In other words, it offers individuals an opportunity to showcase their talents and establish a network with international film professionals, thus ensuring the growth of the movie industry (Chan, 2013). It is composed of three major events including the Festival de Cannes, Director’s Fortnight, and the Critic’s week, which make up the main Film Festival (Iordanova, 2015). In this case, the three events are meant to ensure that the festival maintains its true purpose and success. There have, however, been security concerns following the terror attack that took place in July 2016, near the festival’s venue. According to Mazdon (2016), Cannes must be protected because it is a highly professional event that brings honor to France. This report highlights some of the important features of the Cannes Film Festival.

2.0 Description

The Cannes Film Festival (CFF) is one of the most historical and prestigious event in the world. It is normally held annually, particularly, in May at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France (Mazdon, 2016). The main purpose of the festival is to promote the development of the film industry globally.  In other words, it seeks new talent and acts as a springboard for film creation in the movie industry. Some of its key stakeholders include Pierre Lescure, who acts as the current president; Thierry Fremaux, the general delegate; and Gilles Jacob, who was recently appointed as the honorary president by the board of directors (Iordanova, 2015). The event has become a significant showcase for European films.  As a result, it attracts many movie stars and is also a popular venue for film producers, who come to sell their works and launch new film products.

3.0 History

The Cannes Film Festival begun as an initiative to lure tourists back to the French Riviera and compete against the well established Venice Film Festival. In this regard, its debut had been planned to take place in 1939, however, the outbreak of World War II led to its cancellation (Mazdon, 2016). The provincial government in France later approved its revival and the first episode of the event took place on 20^th September 1946, at the Casino de Cannes (Chan, 2013). The following years were, however, accompanied with financial challenges that led to the annulment of the festival in 1948 and 1950. As a result, the event organizers decided to adopt a professional dimension following the introduction of the Marché du Film in 1959, which played a significant role in marketing the Film Festival internationally (Mazdon, 2016). Besides, the initiative encouraged networking and interactions between film industry professionals, thus influencing the success of the occasion. 

The Palais des Festivals was later declared as the permanent venue for the event and the festival given its official name as the Festival du film de Cannes (Mazdon, 2016). In this regard, the occasion has gained intense popularity over the years following its increased media coverage and advertisement, which has given it international recognition. As a result, Cannes has become a destination for tourists and film industry professionals, who come to either witness or participate in the occasion. That is to say, the Cannes Film Festival attracts more than 30,000 film devotees from across the globe every year (Iordanova, 2015). Besides, the organizers and key stakeholders celebrated its 70^th anniversary this year.

4.0 Objectives and Aims

The primary objective of the Cannes film festival is to identify and reward quality film productions in an attempt to boost the profile of films, celebrate cinema at an international level, and enhance the growth of the film industry throughout the world (Mazdon, 2016).  This is achieved through the official selection, which serves as a platform to highlight the diversity of cinematic creations using various sub-sections with distinct identities. In this regard, films are grouped into various categories including the out of competition section, Un Certain Regard, Cinéfondation, and the Cannes Classics segment, to compete for different rewards. In other words, the awards are meant to acknowledge good works and motivate film producers to create quality productions. Examples of some of these awards include the Palme d’Or fo and the Prix Un Certain Regard, which are given to the best picture and film, respectively (Chan, 2013). In this regard, such efforts are aimed at ensuring the growth and evolution of the film industry.

The Festival is also very keen at identifying new talent and acting as a springboard for creativity. That is to say, the organizers of the event have talent scouts who travel across the world to search and unearth talented directors from diverse countries (Mazdon, 2016). The selected individuals are then slotted for training and competition, where they contend against other talented producers. They also get a chance to refine their skills and market themselves internationally (Chan, 2013). In other words, such initiatives are undertaken to ensure that the key goals and objectives of the Cannes Film Festivals are achieved effectively.

5.0 Success Factors

Various factors have contributed to the success of the Cannes Film Festival. For instance, the event is always ready to take on new ideas and concepts from different regions across the globe. That is to say, it provides a platform for non-American film makers, particularly, those from developing countries to showcase their talent, and gain international recognition (Mazdon, 2016). As a result, the event attracts large masses of people from different countries including filmmakers, producers, financers, and directors, just to mention. In this regard, it not only promotes culture and diversity, but also influences the success of the festival. Additionally, the occasion is, often, a trade-off between artistic needs and commercial gains. In other words, many individuals attend it with an aim of doing business and promoting their products. For example, the festival offers the western and French fashion conglomerates an international stage to promote their brands, and in return CFF receives sponsorships and glamour, thus making it more successful.

One major factor that threatens the future success of the Cannes Film Festival is security issues. That is to say, many people have raised concerns regarding the security of the event following the tragic attack that took place a few miles away from where the festival is usually held. The incident left 85 people dead, after a terrorist ran a cargo truck through a crowd that had been watching fireworks on Bastille Day (Mazdon, 2016). In this regard, the organizers of the event have beefed up security in preparation for the next CFF. For instance, the Cannes authorities organized a stimulated raid activity last year, which involved a counterfeit bomb a few days before the festival, to test the level of preparedness in case of a real terror attack. Moreover, surveillance cameras have been increased across the City and festival venues to monitor any suspicious activities.

6.0 Marketing

The Cannes Film Festival is, often, marketed through various media platforms including The Marché du Film which is considered to be the largest film market in the world. It provides a wide range of marketing services that are tailored to benefit the directors, producers, and other film industry professionals (Iordanova, 2015). In this regard, CFF is specifically marketed to the film industry professionals and persons must be accredited to participate in the event (Mazdon, 2016). As a market, CFF attracts different buyers and sellers of film products. In other words, it brings together individuals from all walks of life that come together to buy, sell, or finance various activities in the film industry. In this case, the marketing of the festival has been successful and attracts more than 12,000 film industry professionals from across the globe.

7.0 Impact

Every year Cannes is transformed into an international business hub where the film industry professionals come together to share ideas, make business deals, and market themselves, as a result of the Film Festival. The event also provides developing countries an opportunity to showcase the richness of their cultures through cinema and other creative arts. In this regard, “CFF plays a significant role in promoting cultural diversity and nurturing new talent from upcoming film producers” (Iordanova, 2015).  Additionally, the film festival determines the type of films to be played in the international screens. That is to say, films that make it to the top ten categories of the competition list are more likely to receive more publicity from both local and international audiences, compared to the ones that fall below it, thus influencing their market value.

8.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, the Cannes Film Festival is a significant annual event that is, often, held in May at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. It was founded in 1946 as an initiative to compete against the well established Venice Film Festival and lure tourist back to the French Riviera after World War II. Its main objective is to identify and reward quality works in an attempt to enhance the profile of films, celebrate Cinema at an international level, and promote the evolution of the film industry globally. There are various factors that have contributed to its overall success. For instance, its flexibility to adopt new concepts and ideas from diverse regions has made it possible for the event to attract over 12,000 film industry professionals, who come to buy, sell, or finance film related activities each year. Moreover, it provides an international platform for business people to market their brands in exchange for sponsorship, to boost the event. In this regard, the Marché du Film plays a key role in marketing the festival to film industry professionals and has been successful in helping it promote cultural diversity and nurture upcoming talents.