Cannes 2024: How Festival de Cannes Became One of The Prestigious Film Festival Amidst War-Like Situations?

History of Cannes: After the biggest fashion night of Met Gala 2024 concluded, celebs are all set to dazzle at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, starting on 14th May 2024 and concluding on 25th May 2024. While the audience has witnessed several breathtaking moments over the past years, a few know the origins of the film festival. Like every year, the festival brings out the best of culture and sophistication with its different themes and a number of film screenings. But how this ritual of showcasing the best talents began? Here’s what you need to know about the history of Festival de Cannes.

Cannes Film Festival History

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals, held annually in Cannes, France. It was founded in 1946 as the Festival du Film de Cannes, to compete with the Venice Film Festival, which had been established in 1932. The first Cannes Film Festival was scheduled for September 1939 but was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II. The first Festival of 1939 was scheduled to take place from September 1 to 20, 1939, in the hall of the Municipal Casino, with the father of cinematography, Louis Lumière, serving as honourary president. It wasn’t until 1946, with postwar France in shambles, that the International Film Festival, which Philippe Erlanger had started nine years before, began for the first time, on September 20.

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Cannes Film Festival 2024

This year’s 77th edition will be one-of-a-kind in many ways. The festival's current edition will take place in the midst of war, protest, impending strikes, and the French #MeToo movement. The Cannes 2024 will be witnessing several Bollywood celebs gracing the red carpet, some new faces and others making their comeback. Talking about the debutants, many influencers are set to make their first appearance at the film festival, including Ankush Bahuguna, RJ Karishma, Nancy Tyagi, and Singer-Rapper King. The red carpet will be attended by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Shobita Dhulipal, as per reports. Apart from this, 6 Indian films will be competing for awards, being either women-centric or helmed by female directors. Notable films include Santosh, Manthan, and All We Imagine As Light.