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For those who follow cinema and are perhaps fans of films outside the mainstream, the Cannes Film Festival is the most important film event of the year. Every May, the small city of Cannes in the south of France, on the shores of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, rolls out the red carpet for movie stars, filmmakers, critics, media, and film professionals to gather and watch the most anticipated films of the year.
This year, the Cannes Film Festival is celebrating its 78th edition. As always, several important films are waiting to premiere in the Lumière Theatre of the Palais des Festivals, shaping the cinematic conversation for the year ahead. But when and how did this festival begin? Join us at IMAGO as we explore the history of the festival, its significance, its awards, and everything else you need to know about this iconic event.
Where Did the Story of the Cannes Film Festival Begin?
Why Is the Cannes Film Festival Different?
Marché du Film: The World’s Largest Film Market
Cannes: A Stage for Culture and Protest
A Look at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Where Did the Story of the Cannes Film Festival Begin?
During the late 1930s, when fascist regimes were in power in Europe, politics infiltrated every part of public life—including cinema. At that time, the most prominent film event was the Venice Film Festival, which, under fascist influence in Italy and Germany, began awarding its top prizes to propaganda films. Free and artistic cinema was being sidelined. In protest, jury members from democratic countries withdrew from the Venice festival.
On the way back, a French cultural diplomat named Philippe Erlanger, a cinema enthusiast, proposed an independent and apolitical film festival—one where films would be judged for their artistic merit, not political alignment. Although the outbreak of World War II delayed the idea, it came to life in 1946 through Erlanger’s efforts and the support of Jean Zay, France’s Minister of Education and Fine Arts. The first Cannes Film Festival was held that year with the participation of 19 countries and 44 films, all of which received symbolic awards.
From the beginning, the Cannes Film Festival was built on values like artistic freedom, creativity, and international collaboration. Nearly eight decades later, those ideals remain central, and Cannes still plays a major role in introducing world cinema to global audiences.
IMAGO / Future Image / George Lucas with the Honorary Golden Palm for his Lifetime Achievement.
Why Is the Cannes Film Festival Different?
One of the defining features of Cannes is its focus on cinema as an art form. While it may not be as commercial as Hollywood blockbusters, the prestige of being selected—or winning—at Cannes is unmatched. Films in the festival’s Competition section are often considered among the best of the year. Winning the Palme d’Or, or even another Cannes award, can dramatically change a director’s or actor’s career trajectory.
Cannes also values the tradition of cinema as a shared theatrical experience. While many festivals have shifted toward digital and streaming premieres, Cannes maintains that films must be screened in French cinemas to compete for major awards. Meanwhile, the festival’s red carpet events, photo calls, and press conferences turn the spotlight on Cannes each May, making it a centerpiece of the global film calendar.
IMAGO / Eventpress I Lena Gercke at the Closing Ceremony of the 77 Cannes International Film Festival.
The Power of the Palme d’Or
The Palme d’Or is one of the most prestigious prizes in cinema. Many films that win this award achieve critical and commercial success worldwide, including at the Academy Awards. Films such as Parasite, Titane, and Anatomy of a Fall premiered at Cannes and won major international honors in recent years.
At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, American director Sean Baker won the Palme d’Or for his film Anora, which later received multiple prizes during the 2025 awards season, including Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars.
As one of the world’s most influential film events, Cannes has screened some of the most important works in film history. For example, Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976), Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), and Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) all won the Palme d’Or. Foreign-language masterpieces like Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry (1997) and Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (2019) also gained global recognition after their Cannes triumphs.
IMAGO / Xinhua | French director Justine Triet poses with the trophy during a photocall after she won the Palme d'Or for the film Anatomie d'une Chute.
Marché du Film: The World’s Largest Film Market
Cannes is not only about premieres and celebrities. Running alongside the festival is the Marché du Film, the world’s largest film market. More than 15,000 film professionals—including producers, distributors, and streaming executives—each year attend to buy and sell film rights, finance co-productions, and sign global distribution deals.
Many independent and international films that might otherwise struggle to find an audience take their first step toward global release here. The market is vital to the worldwide film economy, and Cannes provides the perfect space for creative and commercial film partnerships to grow.
IMAGO / Future Image / Mohammad Rasoulof with the Special Jury Prize for The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
Cannes: A Stage for Culture and Protest
Cannes was created to protect cinema from political manipulation, but it has also become a stage for political and cultural expression over time.
In May 1968, the festival was dramatically shut down due to the widespread student and labor protests across France. Leading directors such as Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut called on the festival to show solidarity with the protesters. They argued that it was inappropriate to celebrate cinema while the country was in crisis. Under their pressure, and following the resignation of jury members, the festival was canceled mid-way on May 19, 1968, and no prizes were awarded.
Since then, Cannes has remained a platform for raising awareness. In recent years, issues like women’s rights, climate change, freedom of expression, and diversity in cinema have been addressed through speeches, red-carpet actions, and festival programming.
IMAGO / Panoramic by PsnewZ | Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha & Chhaya Kadam, during the photocall of the film All we imagine as light.
A Look at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival 2025 is scheduled from May 13 to 24. Film lovers and professionals are already anticipating the lineup. Several major studios absent in 2024 due to industry strikes are expected to return with high-profile premieres.
This year’s edition will also introduce an exciting new addition: a Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR) Media Market hosted aboard a ship in Cannes harbor. It’s a sign that the festival, while deeply rooted in tradition, also embraces the future of storytelling.
IMAGO / Future Image / Jacques Audiard with the Jury Prize for Emilia Perez.
Why Does Cannes Still Matter?
In a world saturated with digital content and individual viewing habits, the Cannes Film Festival reminds us that cinema is still a shared, artistic, and global experience. It combines creativity, narrative power, and visual beauty on a collective stage.
By championing new voices and encouraging bold storytelling, Cannes inspires filmmakers to take creative risks and audiences to value the theater experience. Cannes is far more than a glamorous spectacle for photographers, filmmakers, and viewers. It’s a cultural stage where cinema history is written yearly.
IMAGO / Future Image | Mati Diop accepts the Grand Prize of the Festival for the movie Atlantique Atlantics from US actor Sylvester Stallone.
Explore Cannes Through Images
At Imago, you can explore a spectacular and diverse archive of photos from the Cannes Film Festival throughout the years. This collection includes iconic moments from the red carpet, press conferences, film screenings, and the presence of legendary stars—capturing the essence of one of the most special cinema events.
IMAGO / Future Image | Miguel Gomes with the award for Best Director at Grand Tour.
Explore more iconic images of the Cannes Film Festival and event highlights in IMAGO’s exclusive photo gallery here.
