The Cannes Film Festival and the Palme d’Or

Introduction: The Cannes Film Festival, Beacon of World Cinema

The Cannes Film Festival stands as the most prestigious and widely publicized film event globally. Since its inception, it has been a formidable showcase for new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world, attracting media attention and the participation of countless film stars who walk the iconic Montée des Marches (the steps). Officially founded in 1946, although its conception dates back to before World War II, the festival has demonstrated remarkable longevity, evidenced by its numerous editions, and has exerted a lasting and profound impact on the history of cinema and global culture.

The Cannes Film Festival is not merely a celebration of cinematic art but a complex cultural and media ecosystem. Its formidable media coverage and the constant presence of international celebrities transform it into a “global Colosseum of film”, capable of influencing cinematic trends, launching careers, and determining the critical and commercial success of many works. Recent editions, for example, have often anticipated the protagonists of subsequent awards seasons, including the Oscars. This resonant capacity extends far beyond mere competition, shaping public perception and the market value of the films presented. Its long history, approaching its 78th edition, demonstrates an extraordinary ability to adapt and maintain constant relevance in an ever-evolving film industry and geopolitical landscape, confirming its resilience and iconic status. This article will thoroughly explore the festival’s history, from its origins to contemporary dynamics, and then present a complete and commented list of films that have received its highest honor.

The Origins of the Myth: Birth of the Cannes Film Festival

The genesis of the Cannes Film Festival is deeply rooted in the political and cultural context of 1930s Europe. The growing interference of totalitarian regimes in cultural events of the era, exemplified by the pressure exerted by Hitler and Mussolini on the jury of the Venice International Film Festival in 1938, which led to changing the winners in favor of a Nazi propaganda documentary, provoked a strong reaction in France. It was in this climate that French diplomat and historian Philippe Erlanger conceived the idea of a “free” film festival, devoid of political conditioning, an idea that found enthusiastic support and official approval from the Minister of National Education and Fine Arts, Jean Zay. This desire to create an independent space for cinematic art became the driving force behind the birth of Cannes.

The choice of the host city was not immediate. Initially, on May 9, 1939, Biarritz was selected, but the intense mobilization of Cannes supporters, including Paris municipal councilor Georges Prade and local hotel directors, led to a reconsideration. Cannes managed to “win the event” by increasing its financial contribution, and on May 31, 1939, the city and the French government officially announced the birth of the International Film Festival.

The first edition of the festival was scheduled from September 1 to 20, 1939, with Louis Lumière, one of the fathers of cinema, as honorary president. Despite invitations extended to all film-producing nations, including Germany and Italy which declined, only nine countries agreed to participate due to the growing European crisis. The first attendees began arriving in August, amidst an atmosphere of luxurious parties, and artist Jean-Gabriel Domergue created the official poster. However, on September 1, the planned opening day, German troops invaded Poland. The festival was initially postponed for ten days, but the declaration of war on September 3 and the subsequent general mobilization made its staging impossible. The only echo of that first, missed edition was a single private screening of the American film The Hunchback of Notre Dame by William Dieterle, for whose promotion a cardboard replica of Notre Dame Cathedral had been built on the beach.

Despite the initial failure due to the war, the project was not abandoned. The Cannes authorities, led by Philippe Erlanger, attempted to keep it alive even in the early months of 1940. The vision of a free and prestigious international festival persisted, and it was only after the end of the conflict, in September 1946, that the “second first” edition of the International Film Festival could finally take place. In a post-war atmosphere of hope and reconstruction, and despite the inevitable technical difficulties due to the short preparation time, the event was a success. Nineteen nations participated, and an international jury, again chaired by Georges Huisman, supervised the competition. This edition marked the effective beginning of a significant era for world cinema, introducing, among others, Italian Neorealism to the world and contributing to the discovery of hitherto unknown cinematographies. The 1946 organization was based on the principles established for the aborted 1939 edition, demonstrating how that initial idea had laid solid foundations, capable of resisting even the trauma of a world war and blossoming as a symbol of cultural rebirth.

Decade by Decade: The Evolution of Cannes and Its Impact

The 1940s and 1950s: Restart, International Affirmation, and the Cold War

The first actual edition of the Cannes Film Festival, held in September 1946, concluded with unanimous success, despite technical challenges. In a symbolic gesture of post-war cooperation, each represented nation left the Croisette with a Grand Prix. This first festival was crucial for introducing Italian Neorealism to the international stage, laying the groundwork for the discovery of new cinematic currents. The early editions were characterized by a predominantly social atmosphere, but the growing media attention and the parade of international stars on the famous steps (the Montée des Marches) rapidly transformed Cannes into a legendary and world-renowned event.

The 1950s marked the definitive consecration of the festival as an unmissable event for world cinema, attracting hundreds of journalists and celebrities from every corner of the globe. It was in this decade that figures like Brigitte Bardot were “discovered” at Cannes, further amplifying the media and cultural phenomenon the festival was becoming. The Croisette was no longer just a place for film competition, but a stage where trends were set, careers were launched, and the collective imagination was fueled. However, this period of growth was also profoundly marked by Cold War tensions. Geopolitical dynamics were directly reflected in the film selection and event management: American films, thanks to significant financial support from the United States, often received preferential treatment, provoking discontent among Eastern Bloc countries. To try to mitigate conflicts related to selection, an article was introduced allowing films to be withdrawn under certain circumstances, a measure that, however, soon became another source of division.

A significant turning point occurred in 1956, with the decision to eliminate pre-censorship of films presented, ushering in a new era of greater expressive freedom for the festival. This move can be interpreted as an attempt to reassert a certain artistic autonomy in a complex international context. The decade was also the scene of the first scandals that contributed to fueling the festival’s fame, such as the episode of the young British actress Simone Silva, photographed topless with Robert Mitchum in 1954. In 1951, the festival obtained formal accreditation from the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations), a recognition that further consolidated its international status.

The 1960s: Structural Innovations and the Protests of ’68

The 1960s represented a period of significant transformations and turmoil for the Cannes Film Festival. With the advent of the Fifth Republic in France, André Malraux, then Minister of Cultural Affairs, took a central role in organizing the festival, infusing a new vision and encouraging the participation of younger generations of filmmakers. This decade saw the consolidation of Cannes not only as a film showcase but as a true hub for the film industry and critical debate.

One of the most important structural innovations was the formalization, in 1959, of the Marché du Film (Film Market). Born more informally in previous years, the market quickly became a crucial element for the development of the film industry, growing to become the largest event of its kind worldwide. In parallel, in 1961, the Semaine de la Critique (International Critics’ Week) was created, an autonomous section dedicated to discovering first and second works, offering an important platform for film critics outside the official context of the Palais.

The festival continued to be at the center of attention also for the controversies aroused by some of the films presented. Works like Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960), considered pornographic by some, and Luis Buñuel’s Viridiana (1961), censored by Francoist Spain, generated heated debates, confirming Cannes’ role as a place of confrontation, even harsh, on new forms and contents of cinema.

The culmination of the social and cultural tensions of the decade manifested in May 1968. The unrest that shook France had a direct impact on the festival. Despite opening on May 11, a group of filmmakers and producers, including prominent figures like Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, and Claude Lelouch, loudly demanded the interruption of the event in solidarity with striking students and workers. The festival was thus suspended on May 19, without any awards being given. This event, although traumatic for the organization, was not a mere parenthesis but acted as a catalyst for profound renewal. The criticisms and demands for greater openness that emerged during the protests led, in the immediately following years, to a significant diversification of the festival’s sections, with the aim of giving space to more radical and independent voices.

The 1970s and 1980s: Opening to New Cinematographies, the New Palais, and Consolidation of Prestige

The earthquake of 1968 paved the way for a period of renewal and openness for the Cannes Film Festival. As early as 1969, in direct response to the demands for change, the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors’ Fortnight) was introduced, a parallel and non-competitive section created by the Société des Réalisateurs de Films (SRF) with the aim of presenting innovative works, free from ideological constraints and representative of the diversity of world cinema, reflecting the ideas that emerged in May ’68. This new section significantly contributed to the democratization and internationalization of the festival.

In 1972, Maurice Bessy, appointed new Delegate General, formally recognized the importance of parallel selections, further opening the festival to a broader spectrum of films and cinematographies. Cannes increasingly became a forum for filmmakers’ demands and a bulwark for freedom of expression, even presenting foreign films that had been banned in their home countries. This growing attention to independent auteur cinema and non-Western cinematographies strengthened its role as a global platform for discovering new talents and new perspectives.

However, the festival was not without controversy. The selection of winners in 1983, for example, was heavily criticized, so much so that the jury was prompted to award, in extremis, a Special Grand Prix of the Jury and a Grand Prix for art films, in addition to the Palme d’Or, to quell the controversies. This episode underscores the constant tension between the expectations of the public, critics, and the sometimes unpopular decisions of the juries.

A new management team, with Gilles Jacob as Delegate General from 1977 and Pierre Viot as President from 1984, aimed to find a balance between artistic audacity and tradition, promoting avant-garde cinema while defending humanistic values and creative freedom. It was under their leadership that the festival saw one of its most iconic transformations: the inauguration, in 1983, of the new Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. This modern structure, with its famous twenty-four steps and the indispensable red carpet, not only represented an essential logistical improvement to accommodate the growing popularity of the festival and the expansion of the Marché du Film but became the very symbol of Cannes’ glamour and prestige, consolidating its image worldwide.

From the 1990s to Today: Cannes in Contemporary Cinema, Challenges, and Adaptations

The 1990s opened for the Cannes Film Festival under the banner of “discovery” and “promotion” of new cinematographies and talents. 1993 was an emblematic year in this sense, with the celebration of multiculturalism through the awarding of two Palmes d’Or ex aequo: one to Jane Campion for The Piano, the first female director to receive the award, and the other to Chen Kaige for Farewell My Concubine. In the same year, directors from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe were also awarded, testifying to a growing global openness. Despite a temporary boycott by American majors in protest against the GATT agreements, American independent cinema found an important showcase precisely in Cannes, as demonstrated by the Palme d’Or to Barton Fink by the Coen brothers in 1991. The decade also saw the rise of socially engaged screenplays, addressing themes such as tensions in urban peripheries (La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz) and racism (Jungle Fever by Spike Lee). The 50th anniversary of the festival, celebrated in 1997, was an occasion to reflect on a journey that had seen the presentation of 1,289 films in the official selection since 1946, works that had captured the evolution of our societies.

With the beginning of the new millennium, the festival continued its evolution. In 2002, the official name changed from “Festival International du Film” to “Festival de Cannes”. Thierry Frémaux, appointed Delegate General in 2007 (and currently General Director), emphasized how Cannes often represents a point of arrival and consecration for films, rather than a simple starting point, with many distribution deals being finalized right after the screenings on the Croisette. The festival continued to address globally relevant themes, as in the case of Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore, Palme d’Or in 2004.

In recent years, Cannes has progressively strengthened its role as a launching pad for international auteur and independent cinema, becoming a crucial indicator for subsequent international awards, including the Academy Awards. Several recent editions have indeed produced a large number of Oscar-nominated and winning films, as in the case of Anora, which debuted at Cannes before winning the Best Picture award. This trend highlights how the festival is no longer a predominantly European event, but a true global market for ideas, talents, and cinematographic works of worldwide resonance.

However, the festival is not immune to global tensions. Its enormous media visibility has transformed it into an arena where social and geopolitical issues often find expression, sometimes through striking protests on the red carpet, which can become as much a platform for political protest as for glamour. This growing politicization demonstrates how the festival’s influence extends beyond art, intersecting with public and political discourse. Events like the COVID-19 pandemic have had a direct impact, leading to the cancellation of the 2020 edition. Furthermore, the festival continues to navigate a complex relationship between art, commerce, and international politics, as evidenced by past tensions with American majors or recent concerns about potential international tariffs that could affect film circulation. These episodes highlight a continuous negotiation to maintain its prestige and autonomy in an interconnected and sometimes conflictual world.

The Supreme Prize: History of the Palme d’Or

The most coveted award at the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d’Or, has not always had this name, nor has it always been the sole and undisputed prize it is today. Its history reflects the evolution of the festival itself and its growing ambition to forge a distinctive identity in the international film landscape.

In the early editions, there was no single main prize. In 1946, in a post-war context aimed at unanimity and the success of the restart, the highest recognition was the “Grand Prix du Festival International du Film,” but it was awarded jointly to eleven films, practically one for each nation represented, as a diplomatic gesture and collective celebration. This strategic choice aimed to promote a sense of unity and ensure that all delegations felt valued, facilitating the consolidation of the festival. The 1947 edition saw yet another different approach, with the awarding of prizes by specific categories (such as Best Psychological and Love Film, Best Social Film, Best Animated Design, etc.), without a single “Grand Prix” for Best Film.

From 1949 to 1954 (with festival interruptions in 1948 and 1950), the “Grand Prix du Festival International du Film” established itself as the highest individual recognition. The turning point came in 1955, when the “Palme d’Or” (Golden Palm) was introduced for the first time. This new award, whose trophy was designed by jeweler Lucienne Lazon, was not a simple nominal change. The “Grand Prix” was a rather generic term, used by many other festivals. The adoption of the Palme d’Or, an evocative name linked to the emblem of the city of Cannes (the palm tree features in its coat of arms) and a physically distinctive trophy, represented a strategic branding move, aimed at creating an immediately recognizable and unique symbol of prestige. The first film to receive this new award was Marty by Delbert Mann.

However, the history of the award was not linear. From 1964 to 1974, the festival temporarily returned to awarding the “Grand Prix du Festival International du Film” as its main prize, setting aside the Palme d’Or. This interregnum period might indicate internal uncertainties or external pressures. Finally, in 1975, the Palme d’Or was definitively reintroduced and has since remained the undisputed symbol of cinematic excellence celebrated at Cannes, the supreme prize that every director aspires to win.

The following table summarizes the evolution of the main prize of the Cannes Film Festival:

This complex evolution testifies to the festival’s continuous search for a strong identity and a recognition that could best symbolize its growing prestige.

Roll of Honor: All Films Winning the Palme d’Or (and preceding Grand Prix)

Below is the complete list of films that have received the highest recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, from its first edition to the present day, including both the winners of the Palme d’Or and its predecessor, the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film.

1939 – Union Pacific

In 1862, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads compete to extend their lines westward across wild territories towards California. Chief troubleshooter Jeff Butler must fight Asa Barrows’ agent, gambler Sid Campeau, to ensure the progress of the railroad construction, while also vying for the love of the engineer’s daughter, Molly Monahan, against his war buddy Dick Allen. Cecil B. DeMille’s film was awarded retrospectively in 2002, when a jury convened to award the Palme d’Or for the 1939 edition, which was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II.

(1940-1945: No festival due to World War II)

1946 – Torment (Hets)

Directed by Alf Sjöberg. A high school student, Widgren, is terrorized by his sadistic Latin teacher, nicknamed Caligula. When Widgren falls in love with Bertha, a troubled girl working in a tobacco shop, he finds himself further entangled in a web of psychological and emotional games, discovering that Bertha is also tormented by Caligula.

1946 – The Lost Weekend

Directed by Billy Wilder. The film follows the desperate life of Don Birnam, a chronic alcoholic writer, through a four-day crisis. After ten days “on the wagon,” his craving for alcohol becomes more insidious, leading him to evade a country weekend and embark on a new binge, during which he relives past events ruined by alcohol.

1946 – The Red Meadows (De røde enge)

Directed by Bodil Ipsen and Lau Lauritzen Jr. A young Danish saboteur, Michael, awaits his execution in a German prison during World War II. His thoughts return to the events that led to his capture, including his participation in the resistance, an ambush, and his capture after blowing up an arms factory.

1946 – Neecha Nagar (Lowly City)

Directed by Chetan Anand. A wealthy landowner, Sarkar, living on a mountain, plans to divert sewage into the village below, “Neecha Nagar,” to make way for a housing project. The inhabitants, led by Balraj, protest. Sarkar’s daughter, Maya, joins them and falls in love with Balraj, while an epidemic threatens the village.

1946 – Brief Encounter

Directed by David Lean. After a chance meeting at a railway station, a married doctor, Alec Harvey, and a suburban housewife, Laura Jesson, begin a restrained but passionate, and ultimately doomed, love affair in pre-war England.

1946 – María Candelaria (The Indian Maiden) (María Candelaria (Xochimilco))

Directed by Emilio Fernández. In Xochimilco, 1909, young indigenous woman María Candelaria, daughter of a deceased prostitute, is ostracized by her village. She and her beloved Lorenzo Rafael dream of marrying but face the greed of the wealthy Don David, who desires María. A series of tragic events, including María’s illness and Lorenzo’s theft of quinine, leads to a dramatic end.

1946 – The Great Turning Point (Velikij perelom)

Directed by Fridrikh Ermler. During World War II, German forces advance towards Stalingrad. General Muravyov is tasked with defending the city at all costs, devising a strategy to wear down the enemy before a decisive counterattack that will lead to Soviet victory and the beginning of the advance towards Berlin.

1946 – Pastoral Symphony (La Symphonie pastorale)

Directed by Jean Delannoy. A pastor in a mountain village adopts a blind girl, Gertrude. As Gertrude grows into an attractive young woman, the pastor, now middle-aged, realizes he has fallen in love with her. The pastor’s adopted son, Jacques, also falls for Gertrude, further complicating the situation.

1946 – The Last Chance (Die letzte Chance)

Directed by Leopold Lindtberg. During World War II, an American and a British soldier escape a Nazi prisoner train in war-torn Italy. As they try to reach the Swiss border, they find themselves leading a multinational group of refugees aided by the Italian resistance.

1946 – Men Without Wings (Muži bez křídel)

Directed by František Čáp. After an attack against a Third Reich guard in Czechoslovakia, Nazi repression intensifies. Sabotage organized by the Czechoslovak resistance in an aircraft factory leads to Gestapo shootings, forcing worker Petr Lom into a difficult choice.

1946 – Rome, Open City (Roma città aperta)

Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Set in Rome in 1944 during the Nazi occupation, the film follows a diverse group of characters, including a communist engineer and Resistance leader, Giorgio Manfredi, who tries to evade the Gestapo with the help of a Catholic priest, Don Pietro Pellegrini, and a working-class woman, Pina, engaged to an anti-fascist printer.

(In 1947, no single Grand Prix was awarded, but prizes by category)

1947 – Ziegfeld Follies (Best Musical Comedy)

Directed by Vincente Minnelli. A series of lavish musical and comedy sketches performed by major MGM stars, conceived as a revue in the style of the famous Ziegfeld Follies of Broadway. The film is a celebration of the glitz and talent of Hollywood’s golden age.

1947 – The Damned (Les Maudits) (Best Adventure and Crime Film)

Directed by René Clément. During the final days of World War II, a group of Nazis and French collaborators flees aboard a submarine bound for South America, but tensions and conflicts on board lead to a dramatic and violent outcome.

1947 – Crossfire (Best Social Film)

Directed by Edward Dmytryk. An investigation into the murder of a Jewish war veteran reveals latent anti-Semitism among some demobilized American soldiers, addressing themes of prejudice and intolerance in post-war society.

1947 – Dumbo (Best Animated Design)

Directed by Ben Sharpsteen. A young circus elephant with enormous ears, Dumbo, is ridiculed until he discovers he can use them to fly, becoming the star of the show with the help of his mouse friend Timothy. A Disney classic about diversity and acceptance.

1947 – Antoine and Antoinette (Antoine et Antoinette) (Best Psychological and Love Film)

Directed by Jacques Becker. Antoine, a printing press worker, and his wife Antoinette, a shop assistant on the Champs-Élysées, live a modest life in Paris. Their routine is disrupted when a winning lottery ticket disappears, testing their love and mutual trust.

(1948: Festival cancelled)

1949 – The Third Man

Directed by Carol Reed. American Western novelist Holly Martins arrives in post-WWII Allied-occupied Vienna to accept a job offer from his childhood friend Harry Lime, only to find that Lime is dead. Martins decides to investigate his death, becoming entangled in shady black market dealings and infatuated with Lime’s girlfriend, Anna Schmidt.

(1950: Festival cancelled)

1951 – Miracle in Milan (Miracolo a Milano) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Vittorio De Sica. Totò, an orphan with a heart of gold, after leaving the orphanage, joins a group of homeless people in a shantytown on the outskirts of Milan. With his enthusiasm, he transforms the place into a community. When the wealthy Mr. Mobbi discovers oil under the shantytown and tries to evict them, Totò’s deceased adoptive mother gives him a magical dove capable of granting wishes.

1951 – Miss Julie (Fröken Julie) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Alf Sjöberg. During Midsummer’s Eve, Miss Julie, daughter of a wealthy count, seduces Jean, her father’s valet. A battle of sexes and classes erupts between them as they plan an escape that will prove impossible, leading to a tragic end.

1952 – Othello (The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Orson Welles. The Moorish general Othello is manipulated by his envious ensign Iago, who deceitfully convinces him that his new wife Desdemona is cheating on him with his lieutenant Cassio, unleashing tragic jealousy.

1952 – Two Cents Worth of Hope (Due soldi di speranza) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Renato Castellani. In a post-war Italian village, the young and poor Antonio falls in love with Carmela, daughter of the respected owner of a workshop. Despite the hostility of their families and Antonio’s economic precariousness, as he moves from one job to another, the two fight for their love.

1953 – The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la peur)

Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. In a squalid South American oil town, four desperate men accept a suicidal mission: to transport two trucks loaded with nitroglycerin across a dangerous mountain road to extinguish a fire in a distant oil well. Every jolt tests their courage and nerves.

1954 – Gate of Hell (Jigokumon)

Directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. During the Heiji Rebellion in 12th-century Japan, samurai Morito falls in love with Lady Kesa, a lady-in-waiting. Discovering she is married, his craving for her turns into a destructive obsession, leading to tragic consequences.

1955 – Marty

Directed by Delbert Mann. Marty Piletti, a 34-year-old shy and socially awkward Italian-American butcher from the Bronx, meets Clara, an equally lonely teacher, at a dance hall. A bond forms between them, but Marty must face pressure from his family and envious friends to pursue the relationship.

1956 – The Silent World (Le Monde du silence)

Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle. Pioneering documentary following explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his team aboard the Calypso as they investigate aquatic habitats in various locations around the world, showing the beauty and brutality of the underwater world.

1957 – Friendly Persuasion

Directed by William Wyler. A family of pacifist Quakers in Indiana sees their religious beliefs tested with the outbreak of the American Civil War. The eldest son, Josh, decides to take up arms to defend the community, creating a moral dilemma for the family.

1958 – The Cranes Are Flying (Letyat zhuravli)

Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov. Veronika and Boris are a happily-in-love couple in Moscow, but World War II separates them when Boris volunteers for duty. Left alone, Veronika tries to resist spiritual numbness and the growing advances of Boris’s cousin, Mark, a pianist who has avoided the draft.

1959 – Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro)

Directed by Marcel Camus. A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Orpheus, a young tram conductor and guitarist, falls in love with Eurydice, a country girl who has fled to avoid a man pursuing her. Their love is threatened by the jealousy of Orpheus’s fiancée and the mysterious figure chasing Eurydice.

1960 – La Dolce Vita

Directed by Federico Fellini. Journalist Marcello Rubini navigates the “sweet life” of Rome amidst decadent parties, international celebrities like actress Sylvia, and fleeting encounters, searching in vain for love and happiness while reflecting on the emptiness of his existence and the loss of authenticity.

1961 – The Long Absence (Une aussi longue absence) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Henri Colpi. Thérèse Langlois, a Parisian café owner, believes she recognizes her husband, who disappeared sixteen years earlier during World War II, in a vagrant suffering from amnesia. She desperately tries to awaken his memories, but the man eventually disappears again.

1961 – Viridiana (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Luis Buñuel. Young novice Viridiana, about to take her vows, visits her lecherous uncle. After his suicide, Viridiana, feeling guilty, tries to redeem herself by transforming her uncle’s estate into a refuge for beggars, but her ideals clash with the harsh reality of human nature.

1962 – Keeper of Promises (O Pagador de Promessas)

Directed by Anselmo Duarte. Zé do Burro, a Brazilian peasant, makes a vow to Saint Barbara (syncretized with the Afro-Brazilian deity Iansã) for the healing of his donkey. Once the animal is healed, Zé undertakes a long pilgrimage to carry a heavy cross to the Church of Saint Barbara in Salvador, but clashes with the intransigence of the local priest and the exploitation of his faith by various social actors.

1963 – The Leopard (Il Gattopardo)

Directed by Luchino Visconti. During the Italian Risorgimento, the Prince of Salina, Don Fabrizio Corbera, witnesses the decline of his aristocratic class and the rise of the bourgeoisie. To ensure the family’s survival, he favors the marriage between his ambitious nephew Tancredi and the beautiful Angelica, daughter of a wealthy bourgeois.

1964 – The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)

Directed by Jacques Demy. Sixteen-year-old Geneviève loves twenty-year-old mechanic Guy. Her mother, who runs an umbrella shop, opposes their marriage before Guy completes his military service in Algeria. When Geneviève discovers she is pregnant and Guy’s letters become infrequent, she must make a life-changing decision.

1965 – The Knack…and How to Get It

Directed by Richard Lester. Colin, a shy teacher, envies his roommate Tolen, a womanizer who seems to have “the knack” with women. Colin asks Tolen to teach him how to win over girls, but the situation complicates when both become interested in Nancy, a girl newly arrived in London.

1966 – The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (Signore & signori) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Pietro Germi. Three stories set in the Venetian town of Treviso explore the hypocrisy and extramarital affairs of the local bourgeoisie. The events include a man feigning impotence, a bank clerk leaving his wife for his mistress, and a group of men ending up on trial for having relations with a minor.

1966 – A Man and a Woman (Un homme et une femme) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Claude Lelouch. Anne, a young widow and script supervisor, and Jean-Louis, a young widower and race car driver, meet by chance at their children’s boarding school in Deauville. A timid relationship blossoms between them, complicated by memories of their deceased spouses and the uncertainties of the present.

1967 – Blow-Up

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Thomas, a fashion photographer in 1960s London, believes he has unintentionally captured a murder on film while photographing a couple in a park. By progressively enlarging his photographs, he discovers disturbing details that lead him to question reality and his perception.

(1968: Festival interrupted due to the events of May ’68; no awards given)

1969 – If….

Directed by Lindsay Anderson. In a traditional English boys’ boarding school in the late 1960s, a group of nonconformist students, led by Mick Travis, rebels against the repressive school system and the authority of the older prefects, culminating in a wild armed insurrection.

1970 – M\*A\*S\*H

Directed by Robert Altman. During the Korean War, surgeons “Hawkeye” Pierce and “Duke” Forrest arrive at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). Insubordinate and irreverent, but excellent surgeons, they disrupt the camp routine with pranks, affairs, and drinking, clashing with the rigid Major Frank Burns and Head Nurse Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan.

1971 – The Go-Between

Directed by Joseph Losey. In the summer of 1900, young Leo Colston spends his holidays at his friend Marcus Maudsley’s country estate. Here, he develops a crush on Marcus’s beautiful older sister, Marian, and ends up acting as a messenger in her clandestine affair with Ted Burgess, a local tenant farmer, a role that will have lasting consequences on his life.

1972 – The Mattei Affair (Il caso Mattei) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Francesco Rosi. The film investigates the life and mysterious death of Enrico Mattei, a powerful Italian businessman and president of ENI, who died in a plane crash in 1962. Through flashbacks and a quasi-documentary structure, it explores his ambitions, his struggles against the “seven sisters” of oil, and the possible causes of his disappearance.

1972 – The Working Class Goes to Heaven (La classe operaia va in paradiso) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Elio Petri. Lulù Massa, a workaholic factory worker alienated by piece-rate labor, loses a finger in a workplace accident. This event leads him to question his life, approach trade union and student movements, and confront the contradictions of the production system and class struggle.

1973 – The Hireling (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Alan Bridges. Lady Franklin, a young aristocratic widow in mourning, develops an unusual bond with her chauffeur, Leadbitter, a former soldier who has invested his savings in a hired car. As he helps her overcome her depression by inventing a fictitious family life, he falls in love with her, clashing with class barriers.

1973 – Scarecrow (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Jerry Schatzberg. Max, an irascible ex-convict, and Lion, a naive and dreamy ex-sailor, meet on the road and decide to travel together from California to Pittsburgh to open a car wash. During their journey, they face various misadventures that test their friendship and dreams.

1974 – The Conversation

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Harry Caul, a solitary and paranoid electronic surveillance expert, is hired to record the conversation of a couple in a crowded square. When he suspects that his recordings may lead to the couple’s murder, he enters a deep crisis of conscience.

1975 – Chronicle of the Years of Fire (Chronique des années de braise)

Directed by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina. The film portrays Algeria’s struggle for independence from French colonial rule, following the migration of a peasant, Ahmed, from his drought-stricken village to his participation in the Algerian resistance movement, shortly before the outbreak of the War of Independence.

1976 – Taxi Driver

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Travis Bickle, a mentally unstable Vietnam veteran suffering from insomnia, works as a night taxi driver in New York. Disgusted by the degradation and corruption he sees, his loneliness and anger push him towards violent action in an attempt to “clean up the streets” and save a young prostitute.

1977 – Padre Padrone

Directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. Based on Gavino Ledda’s autobiography, the film tells the story of a young Sardinian shepherd taken out of school by his authoritarian father to tend sheep. Through military service and determined self-education, Gavino manages to escape a harsh and isolated existence, eventually becoming a celebrated linguist.

1978 – The Tree of Wooden Clogs (L’albero degli zoccoli)

Directed by Ermanno Olmi. Set in a farmhouse near Bergamo at the end of the 19th century, the film depicts the daily life, work, loves, and sufferings of five poor peasant families. One of these families decides to send their intelligent son to school, a sacrifice that will have dramatic consequences when the father cuts down one of the landlord’s trees to make clogs for the child.

1979 – Apocalypse Now (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. During the Vietnam War, Captain Benjamin L. Willard is tasked with traveling up a river into Cambodia to “terminate with extreme prejudice” Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, a Special Forces officer who has deserted and commands a tribe of indigenous people like a demigod.

1979 – The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Volker Schlöndorff. Born in Danzig in 1924, Oskar Matzerath decides at the age of three to stop growing after receiving a tin drum as a gift. Through his drum and a scream capable of shattering glass, Oskar observes and protests against the rise of Nazism and the absurdities of the adult world.

1980 – All That Jazz (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Bob Fosse. Joe Gideon, a Broadway director and choreographer addicted to work, sex, and amphetamines, tries to balance staging his latest musical with editing a film. As his unregulated life leads him to the brink of cardiac arrest, Gideon reflects on his existence and mortality through dreamlike sequences and conversations with an angelic figure of death.

1980 – Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) (Kagemusha) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa. In 16th-century Japan, a petty thief is recruited to impersonate Takeda Shingen, a powerful warlord (daimyo) who has been gravely wounded. The “kagemusha” (shadow warrior) must deceive rival clans to protect the Takeda clan from vulnerability but struggles to adapt to the role and spirit of the deceased lord.

1981 – Man of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza)

Directed by Andrzej Wajda. During the Gdańsk shipyard strikes in 1980, Winkel, an alcoholic radio journalist, is sent by the communist regime to discredit Maciek Tomczyk, a leader of the Solidarność movement and son of Mateusz Birkut (protagonist of “Man of Marble”). Through interviews, Winkel reconstructs Tomczyk’s story and the workers’ struggle, questioning his own integrity.

1982 – Missing (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Costa-Gavras. Ed Horman, a conservative American businessman, travels to a South American country (inspired by Chile) to search for his journalist son, Charles, who disappeared during a military coup. Together with his daughter-in-law Beth, Ed uncovers the US government’s complicity in the events and the truth about his son’s fate.

1982 – Yol (The Road) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören. Five Turkish prisoners are granted a week’s leave to visit their families. The film follows their individual journeys across Turkey, revealing the hardships, oppressive traditions, and political and social tensions they face once outside the prison walls.

1983 – The Ballad of Narayama (Narayama bushikō)

Directed by Shōhei Imamura. In a poor rural Japanese village in the 19th century, a cruel tradition dictates that the elderly, upon reaching the age of 70, be taken to Narayama mountain to die. Orin, a healthy 69-year-old woman, prepares for her fate, settling the affairs of her family and village.

1984 – Paris, Texas

Directed by Wim Wenders. Travis Henderson reappears in the Texas desert after a four-year absence, mute and disoriented. His brother Walt tracks him down and brings him back to Los Angeles, where Travis reunites with his son Hunter. Together, father and son embark on a journey to find Jane, Travis’s wife and Hunter’s mother.

1985 – When Father Was Away on Business (Otac na službenom putu)

Directed by Emir Kusturica. In 1950s Yugoslavia, after the split between Tito and Stalin, young Malik lives his childhood while his father Meša, a womanizing communist official, is arrested due to a careless comment about a political cartoon and sent to a labor camp. The family is told he is “away on business.”

1986 – The Mission

Directed by Roland Joffé. In the 18th century, Jesuit Father Gabriel ventures into the South American jungles to convert the Guaraní tribe. He is joined by Rodrigo Mendoza, a former slave hunter seeking redemption. When the Treaty of Madrid cedes the lands from Spain to Portugal, which allows slavery, the mission and its inhabitants are threatened.

1987 – Under the Sun of Satan (Sous le soleil de Satan)

Directed by Maurice Pialat. In the French countryside in the 1920s, Donissan, a young priest tormented by spiritual doubts and demonic temptations, tries to guide his parishioners. His path crosses with that of Mouchette, a sixteen-year-old girl who has committed a mortal sin.

1988 – Pelle the Conqueror (Pelle Erobreren)

Directed by Bille August. In the late 19th century, Lasse, an elderly Swedish widower, emigrates with his young son Pelle to the Danish island of Bornholm in search of a better life. They face harsh working conditions on a large farm, prejudice, and injustice, while Pelle dreams of “conquering the world.”

1989 – Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Ann, an unhappily married and sexually repressed woman, discovers her husband John is having an affair with her sister Cynthia. The arrival of Graham, an old friend of John’s who has a habit of video-interviewing women about their sexual fantasies, disrupts the group’s dynamics.

1990 – Wild at Heart

Directed by David Lynch. Young lovers Sailor Ripley and Lula Fortune flee from Lula’s psychopathic mother, Marietta, who has hired a killer to murder Sailor. Traveling to California, ignoring Sailor’s parole, they encounter a series of bizarre and dangerous characters, while their love is put to the test.

1991 – Barton Fink

Directed by Joel Coen. In 1941, Barton Fink, an idealistic and successful New York playwright, is lured to Hollywood to write scripts. Housed in the dilapidated Hotel Earle, Fink struggles with writer’s block while seeking inspiration from his next-door neighbor, the jovial insurance salesman Charlie Meadows, and secretary Audrey Taylor, discovering the dark and surreal side of Hollywood.

1992 – The Best Intentions (Den goda viljan)

Directed by Bille August. Based on Ingmar Bergman’s autobiographical screenplay, the film tells the story of his parents. Henrik Bergman, a poor theology student, falls in love with Anna Åkerblom, from a wealthy family. Despite social differences and the opposition of their respective mothers, the two marry, but their married life will be marked by difficulties and tensions.

1993 – Farewell My Concubine (Ba Wang Bie Ji) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Chen Kaige. Two boys meet at a training school for the Peking Opera in 1924. Their friendship and artistic partnership will last nearly 70 years, spanning the tumultuous political changes in China, from the Japanese invasion to the Cultural Revolution, severely testing their bond.

1993 – The Piano (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Jane Campion. In the mid-19th century, Ada, a mute Scottish woman, is sent to New Zealand with her daughter Flora and her beloved piano for an arranged marriage to a farmer, Alisdair Stewart. When Stewart sells the piano to neighbor George Baines, Ada agrees to give Baines lessons to get the instrument back, beginning a passionate and complex relationship.

1994 – Pulp Fiction

Directed by Quentin Tarantino. The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner robbers intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption told in non-chronological order in Los Angeles.

1995 – Underground (Podzemlje)

Directed by Emir Kusturica. During World War II in Belgrade, two friends, Marko and Blacky, become arms traffickers for the partisan resistance. Marko deceives Blacky and others into believing the war continues for decades, forcing them to live and produce weapons in an underground shelter, while he enriches himself on the surface.

1996 – Secrets & Lies

Directed by Mike Leigh. Hortense, a young Black optometrist in London, after the death of her adoptive mother, decides to search for her biological mother. She discovers it is Cynthia, a white working-class single mother, whose life and that of her dysfunctional family are turned upside down by this revelation.

1997 – Taste of Cherry (Ta’m e Guilass) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. Mr. Badii, a middle-aged man, drives through the hilly outskirts of Tehran searching for someone willing to help bury him after he commits suicide. He meets a soldier, a seminarian, and a taxidermist, each offering different perspectives on life, death, and individual choice.

1997 – The Eel (Unagi) (Ex Aequo)

Directed by Shōhei Imamura. A businessman, Yamashita, kills his adulterous wife and is imprisoned. After eight years, released, he opens a barbershop in a small village, speaking almost exclusively to an eel he domesticated in prison. Meeting Keiko, a woman who attempts suicide, begins to shake him from his isolation.

1998 – Eternity and a Day (Mia aioniotita kai mia mera)

Directed by Theo Angelopoulos. Alexandros, an elderly and terminally ill Greek writer, is about to enter the hospital. On his last day before admission, he meets an Albanian child, an illegal immigrant, and embarks with him on a metaphorical and real journey through memories, the present, and history, trying to take the boy home.

1999 – Rosetta

Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Young and impulsive Rosetta lives a difficult and stressful life, struggling to support herself and her alcoholic mother. Refusing all forms of charity, she is desperate to find and keep a decent job, facing continuous disappointments and betrayals.

2000 – Dancer in the Dark

Directed by Lars von Trier. Selma, a Czechoslovakian immigrant with a passion for musicals, works hard in an American factory to save money for an operation to save her son from the same genetic disease that is making her blind. When a desperate neighbor falsely accuses her of stealing his savings, her life spirals towards a tragic conclusion.

2001 – The Son’s Room (La stanza del figlio)

Directed by Nanni Moretti. Giovanni, a successful psychoanalyst, lives a serene and loving family life with his wife Paola and two teenage children, Irene and Andrea. The family’s balance is shattered by Andrea’s sudden death in a diving accident. The film explores the grief, guilt, and difficult mourning process of each family member.

2002 – The Pianist

Directed by Roman Polanski. Based on the autobiography of Władysław Szpilman, a brilliant Polish-Jewish pianist, the film recounts his struggle for survival in Nazi-occupied Warsaw during World War II. Separated from his family during deportations, Szpilman hides in the city’s ruins, witnessing the atrocities of the ghetto and aided by unlikely figures.

2003 – Elephant

Directed by Gus Van Sant. Inspired by the Columbine High School massacre, the film follows the lives of several students and teachers in a typical American high school in the hours leading up to a shooting. Through multiple perspectives and a non-linear narrative, it explores everyday life interrupted by violence, without offering easy explanations for the attackers’ motives.

2004 – Fahrenheit 9/11

Directed by Michael Moore. Critical documentary about President George W. Bush’s administration and its policies following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The film examines the links between the Bush family and the bin Laden family, the motivations behind the Iraq War, and the impact of the “War on Terror” on American society.

2005 – The Child (L’Enfant) (L’Enfant – Una storia d’amore)

Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Bruno, a young twenty-something living off schemes and petty theft, and his eighteen-year-old girlfriend Sonia, have just had a baby. In a moment of desperation and immaturity, Bruno sells the newborn to an illegal adoption ring. Faced with Sonia’s shock, Bruno tries to get the baby back, embarking on a path that will lead him to confront the consequences of his actions.

2006 – The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Directed by Ken Loach. Ireland, 1920. Damien O’Donovan, a young doctor about to leave for London, decides to join his brother Teddy in the fight for Irish independence against British forces. After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which divides the country, the two brothers find themselves on opposing sides in the subsequent civil war.

2007 – 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 săptămâni și 2 zile)

Directed by Cristian Mungiu. In communist Romania in 1987, where abortion is illegal, university student Otilia helps her friend and roommate Găbița arrange a clandestine abortion. The two girls face a series of obstacles and confront the shady and manipulative “Mr. Bebe,” the man who will perform the termination.

2008 – The Class (Entre les murs)

Directed by Laurent Cantet. François Marin, a French language teacher, faces a school year in a difficult middle school in a multi-ethnic Paris neighborhood. The film, shot documentary-style with real students and teachers, explores the complex dynamics, conflicts, and attempts at dialogue within the classroom.

2009 – The White Ribbon (Das weiße Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte)

Directed by Michael Haneke. In a small Protestant village in northern Germany in the years immediately preceding World War I, a series of strange and disturbing incidents occur that seem to be ritual punishments. A young teacher tries to uncover the truth behind these events, revealing the hypocrisy, repression, and authoritarianism pervading the community.

2010 – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat)

Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Uncle Boonmee, terminally ill with kidney failure, decides to spend his last days in the Thai countryside, surrounded by his loved ones. Here, he is visited by the ghost of his deceased wife and his missing son, reappeared as a forest spirit with ape-like features. Meditating on the causes of his illness, Boonmee retraces his past lives.

2011 – The Tree of Life

Directed by Terrence Malick. The film explores the origins and meaning of life through the childhood memories of Jack O’Brien, a middle-aged man rethinking his family in 1950s Texas. Memories of the conflicting relationship with an authoritarian father and the love of a gentle mother intertwine with cosmic images of the universe’s creation and the beginning of life on Earth.

2012 – Amour

Directed by Michael Haneke. Georges and Anne are an octogenarian Parisian couple, retired and cultured music teachers. Their life is turned upside down when Anne suffers a stroke that paralyzes her right side. Georges cares for her, but Anne’s progressively worsening condition severely tests their bond of love.

2013 – Blue Is the Warmest Color (La Vie d’Adèle – Chapitres 1 & 2)

Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. Adèle, a French teenager, is discovering her desires and identity. Meeting Emma, a young artist with blue hair, opens up a world of passion and freedom for her. The film follows their intense love affair, from Adèle’s high school years to her early adult life and teaching career.

2014 – Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu)

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Aydin, a former actor, runs a small hotel in Cappadocia, central Anatolia, with his young wife Nihal, with whom he has a stormy relationship, and his sister Necla, recovering from a recent divorce. As winter and snow arrive, the hotel becomes an isolated refuge that fuels tensions and animosities among the characters.

2015 – Dheepan

Directed by Jacques Audiard. Dheepan, a former Tamil Tiger fighter, flees the civil war in Sri Lanka. To obtain political asylum in France, he forms a fictitious family with a woman, Yalini, and an orphaned girl, Illayaal. Settling in a troubled Parisian banlieue, where Dheepan works as a caretaker, they try to build a new life, but daily violence reopens past wounds.

2016 – I, Daniel Blake

Directed by Ken Loach. Daniel Blake, a 59-year-old carpenter from Newcastle, after a severe heart attack, is deemed unfit for work by his doctors. However, following a work capability assessment by the state, he is denied sickness benefits and finds himself forced to look for work, clashing with a Kafkaesque and dehumanizing bureaucratic system. Meanwhile, he befriends Katie, a single mother with two children, also struggling with social services.

2017 – The Square

Directed by Ruben Östlund. Christian is the respected curator of a prestigious contemporary art museum in Stockholm. While preparing a controversial new installation titled “The Square,” which invites altruism, he faces a personal and professional crisis. A rash response to the theft of his phone drags him into embarrassing situations, while the museum’s PR agency creates a provocative and out-of-control advertising campaign for the exhibition.

2018 – Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku)

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. On the outskirts of Tokyo, an extended and dysfunctional family lives in poverty, relying on petty theft to make ends meet. Osamu and his son Shota, after one of their “heists,” find a little girl, Yuri, abandoned in the cold and decide to take her in. Despite the emotional bond that forms, their precarious existence is threatened when family secrets come to light.

2019 – Parasite (Gisaengchung)

Directed by Bong Joon-ho. The Kim family, poor and unemployed, lives in a miserable semi-basement. When son Ki-woo gets a job as an English tutor for the daughter of the wealthy Park family, the Kims devise an elaborate plan to progressively infiltrate the Park household, replacing their employees. The inevitable collision between the two families will lead to unforeseen and tragic consequences.

(2020: Festival cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic)

2021 – Titane

Directed by Julia Ducournau. Alexia, a woman with a titanium plate in her head following a childhood car accident, works as an erotic dancer at car shows and develops a strange sexual attraction to automobiles. Wanted for a series of murders, she changes her identity by pretending to be Adrien, a boy who disappeared ten years earlier, and is taken in by Vincent, the boy’s father, a firefighter struggling with his own demons.

2022 – Triangle of Sadness

Directed by Ruben Östlund. Carl and Yaya, a model and influencer couple, are invited on a luxury cruise for the super-rich, helmed by a Marxist and alcoholic captain. What begins as a lavish and Instagrammable journey turns into a grotesque nightmare when a storm hits the yacht, leaving the survivors shipwrecked on a desert island where social hierarchies are overturned.

2023 – Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d’une chute)

Directed by Justine Triet. Sandra, a German writer, lives with her husband Samuel and their eleven-year-old partially-sighted son, Daniel, in an isolated chalet in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow outside their home, Sandra becomes the prime suspect. The ensuing trial lays bare the complexities and tensions of their relationship, while Daniel faces a moral dilemma as a key witness.

2024 – Anora

Directed by Sean Baker. Anora, a young stripper from Brooklyn, meets and impulsively marries Ivan, the son of a Russian oligarch. Her Cinderella story is threatened when news of the marriage reaches Russia, and his parents travel to New York determined to have the union annulled, unleashing a series of chaotic and violent events.

Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of Cannes

The history of the Cannes Film Festival is a compelling narrative of artistic ambition, political maneuvering, glamour, and, above all, an unwavering love for cinema. From its origins as an act of cultural resistance against totalitarian interference to its current status as the epicenter of world cinema, Cannes has consistently reflected and, in many cases, shaped the cinematic and cultural currents of its time. Its ability to launch careers, bring emerging cinematographies to the forefront, and generate critical and public debate is unparalleled.

The evolution of its main prize, from the multiplicity of initial Grand Prix to the single and iconic Palme d’Or, symbolizes the festival’s own growth towards a unique identity and universally recognized prestige. The Roll of Honor of winning films testifies not only to artistic excellence but also to the diversity of themes, styles, and geographical origins that Cannes has celebrated over the decades. Each awarded film is a piece of a larger mosaic that tells the story of 20th and 21st-century cinema.

Despite challenges, from Cold War tensions to the 1968 protests, from economic crises to pandemics, the Cannes Film Festival has demonstrated remarkable resilience, adapting to the times without losing its essence. It continues to be a platform where auteur cinema dialogues with the general public, where glamour mixes with social and political commitment, and where every year the magic of discovering new works and new talents is renewed. Its influence extends far beyond the two weeks in May, with echoes of its screenings and awards resonating throughout the year in the world of cinema, confirming the Cannes Film Festival as a vital and irreplaceable institution for the seventh art.