Cannes 2024: When Is The Film Festival, Schedule, Venue, Everything You Need To Know

Cannes 2024: The Cannes Film Festival is set to celebrate the entertainment industry’s biggest luminaries. The 77th edition of the film festival will kick off next week in southern France. Hollywood A-list stars, including George Lucas, Meryl Streep, and Demi Moore, among others, are expected to grace the red carpet.

Besides the exception of two years in 1946 owing to financial difficulties, the Cannes Film Festival, which started in 1939 as an alternative to the Venice Film Festival, has been held annually since then. 

Here's a comprehensive guide to the venue, schedule, and all other details about the festival.

What is the Cannes Film Festival? 

Cannes, which was founded in 1939, is the largest film festival in the world. It was formed as an alternative to the fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival. The festival has been conducted annually since 1946, with the exception of 1948 and 1950, when it was cancelled owing to funding constraints. Cannes is renowned for its dedicatedly curated lineup of films that have won prestigious awards.

Where will Cannes 2024 begin?

The 77th edition of the Cannes Festival will be held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, home of the festival on the French Riviera. 

When is the Cannes Film Festival 2024?

The Cannes Film Festival will begin on May 14 and end on May 25. The programme for screenings and award ceremonies was revealed on Monday, May 6, on the festival’s official website. The closing ceremony, where the best film of the year will be awarded, will take place on May 25. The exclusive footage will be broadcast live on the channel France 2 in France.

Who is on the jury panel for Cannes 2024?

This year, Greta Gerwig, a four-time Oscar nominee, will serve as president of the Feature Film Jury. She will be making history as the first female director from America to do so.

"I love films — I love making them, I love going to them, I love talking about them. As a cinephile, Cannes has always been the pinnacle of what the universal language of movies can be. Being in the place of vulnerability, in a dark theatre filled with strangers, watching a brand-new film is my favorite place to be," Gerwig said in a statement. 

Besides Greta, Oscar-nominated actress Lily Gladstone, along with actors Pierfrancesco Favino, Eva Green, and Omar Sy, filmmakers Juan Antonio Bayona, Kore-eda Hirokazu, and Nadine Labaki, and screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan will serve as the Feature Film Jury. During the Closing Ceremony on May 24, their pick for the Palme d'Or will be announced.

Meanwhile, the Un Certain Regard Jury is chaired by Canadian actor and filmmaker Xavier Dolan, actress Vicky Krieps, filmmakers Maïmouna Doucouré and Asmae El Moudir, and critic, writer, and director Todd McCarthy. For the Caméra d'Or Jury, actress Emmanuelle Béart and director and songwriter Baloji will co-preside.

What films have been selected for Cannes 2024?

There are 22 movies competing for the top prize, the Palme d’Or prize. Here are all the contenders:
Emilia Perez, directed by Jacques Audiard

Feng Liu Yi Dai (Caught By The Tides), directed by Jia Zhang-Ke

The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat

Three Kilometers Until the End of the World, directed by Emanuel Parvu

Limonov - The Ballad, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov

Marcello Mio, directed by Christophe Honoré

ll We Imagine as Light, directed by Payal Kapadia

Anora, directed by Sean Baker

The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi

Bird, directed by Andrea Arnold

Diamant Brut (Wild Diamond), directed by Agathe Riedinger

Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola

The Most Precious of Cargoes, directed by Michel Hazanavicius

Motel Destino, directed by Karim Ainouz

Oh Canada, directed by Paul Schrader

Parthenope, directed by Paolo Sorrentino

Pigen med nålen (The Girl With The Needle), directed by Magnus Von Horn

The Seed of the Sacred Fig, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof

Grand Tour, directed by Miguel Gomes

Kinds Of Kindness, directed by Yórgos Lánthimos

L’amour Ouf, directed by Gilles Lellouche

The Shrouds, directed by David Cronenberg

Who will receive an Honorary Palme d'Or?

At Cannes this year, three Honorary Palmes awards will be given away. The three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep, filmmaker George Lucas, and the acclaimed Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli have been chosen for the honour.

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