This Word Means: Cannes

The film festival announced a “no nudity, no voluminous dress” rule, upending the sartorial choices of several attendees, including Oscar-winner Halle Berry, who is on this year’s competition jury.

WHAT IS CANNES?

Cannes is used interchangeably to refer to the Festival de Cannes or the Cannes Film Festival, hosted every May in the French city with the same name. It is regarded among the Top Five film festivals, alongside Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance.

WHAT HAPPENS AT CANNES?

The festival features film premieres and screenings, restricting entry to these to members of the media and the general public. No reporters are allowed on the red carpet, with filmmakers and their crew interacting with the press the day after their film premiere.

The festival features awards, ranging from the competitive to the honorary. But the two biggest awards at the Cannes Film Festival are the Palme d’Or (French for ‘The Golden Palm’) and the Grand Prix (meaning ‘Grand Prize’). The Palme d’Or is considered the highest honour a film can win, while the Grand Prix is the second-highest award in the main competition of the festival.

The festival is famously known for its big fashion moments on the red carpet by celebrities in attendance, ranging from actors promoting their film to brand ambassadors (think Aishwarya Rai for L’Oreal) and social media celebrities.

HOW DID THE FESTIVAL ORIGINATE?

The Cannes Festival emerged in 1939 as an alternative to the Venice Film Festival, on the eve of World War II.

The Venice Film Festival, until then one of the most prestigious film festivals worldwide, saw a unanimous jury decision to award an American film the Best Film prize overturned following pressure from German dictator Adolf Hitler. The UK, the USA and France quit the event in response, with France mooting a film festival for Europe in which art would no longer be influenced by “political manoeuvring”.

The city of Cannes was selected for its location as a resort town on the southern French coast, after lobbying by local hoteliers and businessmen.

However, the onset of WWII would delay its official inauguration to 1946. It was attended by stars like Kirk Douglas, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, Cary Grant, Gina Lollobrigida and the painter Pablo Picasso. It featured 19 countries and an international jury.

INDIANS AT CANNES

India has a long association with the film festival, with directors Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shaji N. Karun and Payal Kapadia being nominated for the Palme d’Or. Kapadia’s film, All We Imagine As Light, won the Grand Prix last year.

Mrinal Sen, Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Nandita Das, Sharmila Tagore, Vidya Balan, and Deepika Padukone have served on the Cannes jury. Indian films like Aranyer Din Ratri, Tanvi The Great, Homebound, Charak, and A Doll Made Up Of Clay will be screened at Cannes this year.