From May 17th to 28th, the 2022 Cannes Film Festival will be held. The Cannes Film Festival is the dream stage of filmmakers and is a film festival enjoyed by people all over the world. While it is natural to always focus attention on films that are nominated for awards, any recent attempts at the Cannes Film Festival are also worth noting. The Cannes Film Festival has suffered from cancellations and postponements for the past two years due to COVID-19 and will again be held on the date according to tradition after a long wait. We invite you into the festive mood of the 75th Cannes International Film Festival.
About Cannes Film Festival
Held every May in Cannes, a resort city in southern France, the Cannes Film Festival is considered one of the world's top three film festivals along with the Venice Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival. The international exhibition hall adjacent to the film festival is a promotional venue for 800 film companies and thousands of film producers, actors, and buyers to sell new films to film distributors. The exhibition hall is also one of the world's largest markets in the film industry along with the American Film Market. For about two weeks, movies are screened, exhibitions are held, and each production company hosts briefing parties at booths. Movies scheduled for release as well as films that have not yet been scripted are traded. Thus, the Cannes Film Festival is also an important market that can predict the trend of the film industry during the year. So, how did this movie party start?
It began to stand against the Venice Film Festival, which began to take on a dark political color in the late 1930s due to the intervention of the Italian fascist government. The Cannes Film Festival was originally scheduled to be held in 1939 with the support of the French government but was interrupted due to the outbreak of World War II and officially started in 1946 after the end of the war. France canceled the 2020 Cannes Film Festival in the aftermath of COVID-19. Last year, in 2021, it was held in July, delayed by two months due to the surge in the number of confirmed cases in France.
New Waves in Cannes Film Festival
With a history of about 80 years, the Cannes Film Festival is known for its strict criteria for submission and awards. First of all, to submit a movie to Cannes, a movie must be made one year before the start of the film festival and must not have been introduced at any other film festivals. Films that meet these conditions are evaluated under the spirit of Cannes, namely, the artistry of the film and the popularity that can lead the world of cinema. Films with high artistic quality and a large proportion of political/social issues are classified in the Competition. The ones that reflect recent trends or show distinct genre characteristics are classified as Out of Competition. Movies in the Competition compete for awards including the Golden Palm, Best Actor/Actress, Best Screenplay, and so on. However, it is difficult to find animation or fantasy films in the Competition, and Netflix Originals, which have recently risen in status, have never been shown. Strict standards also apply to the red carpet. Among the actors appearing on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival 2018, men should wear a suit with a bow tie, and women should wear evening dresses and high heels. Selfies were not allowed at all, and there were no press previews to discuss the film. In 2021, Spike Lee was the first black director to be appointed as a jury chairman.
The Cannes Film Festival, which emphasized tradition rather than change, surprised the world by signing an official partner contract with TikTok on March 16th of this year. TikTok is leading a recent trend as a social platform where users can upload short videos on various topics, such as music, dance, and comedy, and share them with others. In collaboration with TikTok, Cannes Film Festival uploaded backstage, red-carpet videos, and interview videos to TikTok during the event. Viewers could easily enjoy the behind-the-scenes stories of the Cannes Film Festival, which could be mainly seen through articles or official videos, on TikTok. Furthermore, the TikTok Short Film Festival was held with the collaboration of the two partners. TikTok users submitted videos between 30 seconds and 3 minutes by April 8th, and the Cannes Film Festival selected the winners. The lucky winners were even invited to Cannes along with receiving their prize money. Since last year, the jury of the Cannes Film Festival has also been formed considering various races, genders, and origins. The aforementioned black American film director Spike Lee chaired the 2021 Competition, and five of the remaining eight judges were women. It was the first time for women to hold more than half of the jury seats at the Cannes Film Festival. Actor Maggie Gyllenhaal, who was one of the female judges, explained that this gender ratio was very meaningful, and other female judges agreed and were happy with the change.
Korean Film Stars in the Spotlight at Cannes
The highlight of the Cannes Film Festival is the Golden Palm for the best movie of the year. On May 25th, 2019, at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" was the first Korean film to win the Golden Palm, and its cinematic quality was recognized worldwide. And at the opening ceremony of the 74th last year, director Bong Joon-ho appeared with the background music of “Parasite” and declared the opening. At the same time, the film's lead actor, Song Kang-ho, was invited as one of the jury members in the Competition led by Spike Lee. He was the only Asian among the judges last year. As a presenter, he announced the names of the Best Director award winners. With this, Song Kang-ho became an actor who has visited Cannes six times. Another renowned Korean actor, Lee Byung-hun, appeared on the Cannes stage as the presenter for the Best Actress Award and entertained the audience with his witty jokes. With him closing the ceremony, Korean filmmakers and actors marked the beginning and the end of the 74th Cannes Film Festival. Actors Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-Hun received official invitations from Cannes not only as judges and presenters but also as lead actors in the movie "Emergency Declaration." As the first aviation disaster film in Korea, it was selected as an entry in the Out of Competition at the 74th Cannes Film Festival. After the screening, it received a 10-minute standing ovation.
Meanwhile, it was in 2000 that director Im Kwon-taek's "Chunhyang" first brought a Korean film to enter the Competition. After that, by 2021, 14 Korean feature films have entered the Competition. The year after “Chunhyang” entered the Competition, “Chihwaseon” by the same director won the Best Director Award, and in 2004, “Old Boy” by Park Chan-wook won the Jury Prize. Jeon Do-yeon, who is always called the "Queen of Cannes" in Korea, won the Best Actress Award in 2007 for "Miryang." In 2010, she re-entered the Competition for her role in “The Housemaid” and visited Cannes several times, including as the first Korean actress on a jury in 2014. Furthermore, “Thirst” directed by Park Chan-wook in 2009, and “Poetry” directed by Lee Chang-dong in 2010 won awards in the Competition. In fact, Competition and Out of Competition are only portions of invited fields of the Cannes Film Festival. When all categories are combined, more Koreans have of course visited Cannes. While Korean films are being recognized for their quality around the world, expectations are high about the achievements in the Cannes Film Festival in the future.
The Cannes Film Festival has a long history and tradition, befitting its status as one of the world's top three film festivals. It is an honor for filmmakers just to be invited here, and the media always pay great attention to those invited to Cannes. Who and what film will the 75th Cannes Film Festival choose? In addition to the winner of the awards, it is hoped to become a fun festival that can be enjoyed by all who visited Cannes, as well as us who are watching them from Korea.