STRAIGHT FROM FESTIVAL de CANNES

Jessica Chastain

French Rivera, luxury shops, restaurants, and hotels make it one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world. But, that's not all. The event that puts Cannes on the map is the Festival De Cannes – the largest of its kind. No, it's not the Oscars or BAFTA, more serious filmmakers find Cannes to be the most prestigious festival of them all. Recognition from Cannes was the springboard for many filmmakers and actors that we love so much today. On its 67th event, held from 15th to 24th of May, the focus of the world was on this scenic city of southern France. From film-geeks to glamorous Holly-Bolly stars were there to represent their countries. Taking a deeper look, Festival de Cannes is like the Olympics of films, where nations meet and compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or (The Golden Palm). It wasn't easy, but for Rafi Hossain and I, Zia Nazmul Islam it was a privilege to be accredited to attend the “Greatest Film event on earth”. We will be sharing our personal experiences on some later issue; we think this issue should be about informing our spirited filmmakers about the Festival so the myths of Cannes are busted. And they can prove a point at the global stage in Festival de Cannes 2015.        
THE FESTIVAL MISSION
The Festival de Cannes, with over 40,000 accreditations every year, is the most important event for film industry professionals in the world. While the main competition is the main attraction, it is also regarded as the rendezvous for film professionals all over the world. Marche du Film, which literally means “Film Market”, attracts those who are come to trade ideas and talents. It is an intersection of art and industry. To encourage cinematic creation around the world: the Camera d'or prize is awarded to the Best First Film in any category, the Cinefondation (see page 4) awards film students.
 

Kamar Ahmed Simon at the Red Carpet with ten other directors selected for Cinema du Monde

THE OFFICIAL SELECTION (COMPETITION)
The competition is the most prestigious prize of the Festival. It is the most visible element and the core of the official selection. The films are taken from all over the world for making it a truly international event. The notion of “auteur cinema developed for a wide audience” is best expressed in the Festival. They compete for the Palme d'Or, the Grand Prix, Best Actor and Actress awards, Best Director, Best Screenplay and the Jury Prize.
SELECTION AND PROMOTION OF FILMS
UN CERTAIN REGARD (A PARTICLUAR LOOK)
The Un Certain Regard Selection highlights unique works that transmit original messages and aesthetics, reflecting the renewal of cinematic expression. The Un Certain Regard jury awards its prizes the day before the closing ceremony.
LES FILMS HORS COMPETITION (OUT OF COMPETITION)
The Out-of-Competition films are often film based events that mark the cinematic year in question. Special Screenings lend a specific focus to works of a more personal nature.
LES COURTS METRAGES (SHORT FILM)
A selection of a dozen or so short films are presented to the Cinefondation and short film jury, which awards the short film Palme d'Or during the Festival's Closing Ceremony (see page 4 for more information).
 

A SPRINGBOARD FOR CREATION
CAMERA D'OR
The Camera d'or prize is awarded to the best first film presented in any category, be it in the Official Selection, the Director's Fortnight or the Semaine de la Critique.
CANNES COURT METRAGE
Cannes Short Film combines both the Short Film Competition and the Short Film Corner, offering professionals and creators a comprehensive panorama of young film creation worldwide.
LA CINEFONDATION (CINEFONDATION)
The Cinefondation supports the emergence of new work from international filmmakers, with three complementary initiatives (see page 4 for further information).
A FESTIVAL FOR PROFESSIONALS
With 11,500 participants, 4,000 films on offer and 15,000 screenings, the Marche du Film is the film world's premier market. It is a major annual event that gives the motion picture industry, by offering promotional meeting and information resources to its participants.
CINANDO
Cinando.com is the world's largest film industry database and is updated before events. Cinando also offers the largest online video library with more than 2,500 films.
DOC CORNER (DOCUMENTARY)
The Doc Corner is dedicated to documentary cinema. In the digital video library, buyers and festival programmers can view the documentary films presented at the Marche du Film.
A WORLDWIDE TOUR OF CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Festival de Cannes offers all film-producing countries the chance to showcase the richness of their cinematography in a pavilion located inside the village international. There, they are able to promote their culture and institutions, and develop exchange with other countries. In just over ten years of existence, the Village International has grown from fifteen to more than sixty pavilions.
NEXT PAVILION
Introduced as a new initiative of the Marche du Film, NEXT is a venue for meetings and talks on the future of film today, including a program of conferences and workshops on the new models of storytelling, production, financing, marketing and distribution in cinema.
We hope that the information will serve as inspiration for our talented young filmmakers to come forward with their ideas and work into an international arena like Cannes de Festival.