The Cannes Film Festival began in 1939. It's widely considered to be the world's most important film festival.

In 1938, in reaction controversial selections of films by the German and Italian fascist governments at the Venice Film Festival.

"La Grande Illusion", a film by Jean Renoir, was dismissed as being even eligible for the festival's top honour; Il Coppa Mussolini. It had been the clear favourite among cinema commentators and had been strongly tipped by the jury.

In a dramatic turn-about, the grand prize was awarded to a two-part German film called "Olympia", which was custom made for Goebbels to document Nazi successes at the 1938 Berlin Olympics in the stadium built by Albert Speer, and "Luciano Serra, Pilota", made by Mussolini's son. Needless to say it caused an uproar.

Then French Minister for Education; Jean Zay, decided to promote an International Cinema Festival in Cannes. Louis Lumi?re became the first president of the first festival, which was to be staged on September 1, 1939. The declaration of war against Germany by France and the United Kingdom on September 3 1939 ruined the festival's premiere but not for long. The festival was re-kindled in 1946 and was staged from September 20 1946 to October 5 1946 in the former Casino in Cannes.

In 1949 the original Palais des Festivals was opened. The original Palais was replaced by a new, less handsome one in 1983.

The most prestigious award given out at Cannes is the Palme d'Or ("Golden Palm") for best film. The Palm D'Or is the logo of the Festival committee. The Internationally selected jury of movie professionals, grants many awards, including the Grand Prix ("Grand Prize") ? the second most prestigious award.

The annual Awards include the following:

Palme d'Or - Golden Palm
Grand Prix du Festival International du Film - Grand Prize of the Festival (1946-1954)
Prix de la mise en sc?ne - Best Director
Prix du Jury - Jury Prize
La Cam?ra d'Or - Best first film
Prix du meilleur sc?nario - Best Screenplay
Prix d'interpr?tation f?minine du Festival de Cannes - Best Actress
Prix d'interpr?tation masculine du Festival de Cannes - Best Actor
Prix un certain regard - Un Certain Regard Award
Prix de la FIPRESCI - International Federation of Film Critics Prize

During May the entire movie industry descends on Cannes on the French Riviera. It's the perfect glamorous setting for such an illustrious event, one that attracts stars and starlets, famous directors, cinematographers, writers and of course the legions of fans.

Careers are made and broken during the Cannes Festival, winning a prize means certain success, and directors who fail to make the grade, or producers who fail to get the funding, may disappear without trace.

The imagery of the Cannes Film Festival is pure glamour, since Brigitte Bardot pouted her way into pin-up girl celebrity at Cannes, the festival has been synonymous with Red Carpets, glamour, bikinis and celebrity parties.


Recent winners of the Palm D'Or:


2006
The Wind That Shakes the Barley

2005
L'Enfant aka The Child

2004
Fahrenheit 9/11

2003
Elephant

2002
The Pianist

2001
The Son's Room

2000
Dancer in the Dark

Riviera Rental Guide specialises in providing rental villa and apartment accommodation for the Cannes Film Festival. Many studios and production houses use Riviera Rental Guide to provide luxury places to stay for the duration of the Festival de Cannes. In addition we rent studios and 1 bed apartments for fans convenient to the Palais Des Festivals.

Each year a new poster is delivered, a new image created and a new message displayed. The posters for the Cannes Film Festival have become something of a comment on the events journey since it began. The first festival was held in 1939 but the event was interrupted by war and didn't returned to full momentum until 1946.

Since then the event has changed and grown in significance to become one of the film worlds most prestigious events with more than 30,000 industry attendees in situ on the French Riviera during festival week.

At the turn of the century, as travel had become easier and more and more people with less and less money were starting to travel, the towns on the French Riviera realised that they were going to have to compete for attention. not just against other countries but also amongst themselves.

Travel posters advertising the delights of each town or region were used to entice foreigners and locals to visit each year. The success of these posters carried over into other areas and advertsing posters for the big events on the French Riviera began to appear.

The Monaco Grand Prix, the Cannes film festival, Nice Jazz festival aswell as towns, beaches and local produce all appeared in ink to shout their existence to the world.

From the travel posters that first appeared at the turn of the century to posters for all the longest running events on the French Riviera these posters serve as a visual reminder of the history of the Cannes film festival.