Today is the 9th day of the Festival International du Film (Cannes Film Festival), which has been held annually for 62 years on the Cote d’Azur (French Riviera). Back when it began in 1946, it was the first major post-World War international cultural event. It is not exclusive and not just about the many celebrities that attend. The Festival is a place for budding filmmakers to showcase their talent and for movie fans all over the world to gather and discover various sides of the film industry. There are many programs and events open to the general public. It is also a place for known professionals to network, exchange ideas, learn from each other, negotiate and make deals. There is an International Village, where all countries can show off what their own film industries have to offer and there is a contest for best short film in which film students from many different countries compete.
Originally, the Grand Prix was given out to the director of the ‘best’ feature film in the official competition, but in 1955, the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) was created for this purpose. An American director, Cecile B. DeMille, was the winner of the first ever Grand Prix and since that time, 17 other best feature film prizes have gone to American directors including Quentin Tarantino in 1994 for Pulp Fiction and Michael Moore in 2004 for Fahrenheit 9/11. Last year, the award went to French director Laurent Cantet for Entre les murs.
Quentin Tarantino is again competing this year with his Inglorious Basterds, a World War II revenge fantasty movie featuring Brad Pitt, which is apparently the talk of the festival. Another of the films that are considered to be in the running for the top prize is Fish Tank directed by Andrea Arnold from the United Kingdom. However, only one other female director has ever won for best feature film – Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993, who curiously enough is also competing again this year with her film Bright Star.
The awards will be handed out and the festival will conclude on May 24th.
