The 2022 Festival de Cannes is back on schedule!

After losing a year to Covid and running in July last year, the 2022 Cannes Film Festival opens on their regular May schedule.

From Tuesday, 17 May to Saturday, 28 May, Cannes hosts the world-famous festival to honour film in all its forms. While celebrities steel the spotlight climbing the steps of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, the city of Cannes is buzzing with the many events organised throughout the city. Free screenings, exhibitions of photographic works, meetings between film professionals and talents, classic film screenings, honorary panels and more make up the entirety of the festival.

After two years of disturbed programming, the 2022 edition is extra large and extra inclusive to the community.

Involving the Community

As per his usual, the Mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, ensures that residents are involved and included and have plenty of free access to parts of the festival. This is unique and an ideal opportunity to celebrate the 7th Art for all, especially the youth. This year, Cannes residents are invited to take part in the twelve days of the festival, thanks to the hundreds of invitations distributed by the Cannes City Hall to attend the screenings of the official selection and the preview of the Palme d'Or award.

Other various events, such as Cannes Cinéphiles, Cannes Écrans Juniors, Cannes Écrans Séniors, Entr'2 Marches, La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, the Semaine du cinéma Positif and the Cinéma de la plage are all open residents and visitors. And to satisfy all ages, Cannes schoolchildren have the chance to climb the steps of the Palais des Festivals for the first time to attend the official screening of the film "Le Petit Nicolas" in the presence of the film crew, as part of the municipal program 100% Education Artistique et Culturel. There is also a TikTok video contest for high school students, in partnership with the association Cannes Cinema. The winners will be rewarded on Friday, May 20th during an official ceremony.

Fun facts

One of the biggest cultural festivals in the world, the Festival de Cannes swells the seaside town from just under 76,000 to more than 200,000 people! That's a lot of extra bodies walking along the Croisette!

There were 40,000 accredited professionals in 2019, including 10,500 at the Film Market, representing 55 countries. Just the press alone counted 4,871 journalists and media technicians, of which 2,113 were French and 2,758 foreign, representing 88 countries.

The Red Carpet is 60 metres long and covers the 24 steps of the main auditorium of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. This year, the festival will change the carpet only once a day, and will allow an association, The Arts Reserve, to recover and recycle the iconic carpet.

Around €200 million is generated by the Palais des Festival during the festival, a significant portion of the Palais' €850 million average in total business tourism for the year.

Nearly 2,300 jobs are created in Cannes for the festival alone.

Free screenings of the Palme d'Or winner

On Sunday, 29 May, the day after the awards ceremony, Cannes residents will be able to attend the screening of the film that will have won the Palme d'Or during four reserved sessions at 12pm, 3pm and 7pm. To do so, you just have to collect your invitations (two per person, subject to availability) on Saturday, May 28, 2022 from 9 am to 12 pm at the Marianne Room of the City Hall. An identity card and proof of residence in Cannes will be required.

Innovation in Media

New for 2022, French media, including France TV and Brut, plus official partners are working together and to propose innovative programs.

CultureBox, C à vous, La Grande Librairie and Passage des arts will take place on the Pantiero esplanade in the city.

In addition to the many videos broadcast on its social networks, Brut is launching Cannes Creator Connect to connect content creators with film professionals. It is also creating a collection of NFTs and a new game on Fortnite in which it virtually transposes the Cannes Film Festival.

The Feature Films Jury

French actor Vincent Lindon will be the President of the Jury this year. He is the first French actor to lead the jury in over two decades. Isabelle Huppert was the last French star to be Jury President in 2009. Together with eight jury members, the actor who won Best Actor in 2015 will present the Palme d'Or to one of the 21 films in competition on Saturday, May 28.

Members of the jury:

• Rebecca HALL Actress, Producer, Screenwriter, Director / UK & United States

• Deepika PADUKONE Actress, Producer / India

• Noomi RAPACE Actress / Sweden

• Jasmine TRINCA Actress, Director / Italy

• Asghar FARHADI Director, Producer, Screenwriter / Iran

• Ladj LY Director, Screenwriter, Actor, Producer / France

• Jeff NICHOLS Director, Screenwriter / United States

• Joachim TRIER Director, Screenwriter / Norway

The films in Competition

• HOLY SPIDER - Ali ABBASI

• FOREVER YOUNG - Valeria BRUNI TEDESCHI

• CRIMES OF THE FUTURE - David CRONENBERG

• TORI AND LOKITA - Jean-Pierre et Luc DARDENNE

• STARS AT NOON - Claire DENIS

• BROTHER AND SISTER - Arnaud DESPLECHIN

• CLOSE - Lukas DHONT

• ARMAGEDDON TIME - James GRAY

• BROKER - Hirokazu KORE-EDA

• NOSTALGIA - Mario MARTONE

• R.M.N. - Cristian MUNGIU

• TRIANGLE OF SADNESS - Ruben ÖSTLUND

• HEOJIL KYOLSHIM (DECISION TO LEAVE) - PARK Chan-Wook

• SHOWING UP - Kelly REICHARDT

• LEILA’S BROTHERS - Saeed ROUSTAEE

• BOY FROM HEAVEN - Tarik SALEH

• ZHENA CHAIKOVSKOGO (TCHAÏKOVSKI'S WIFE) - Kirill SEREBRENNIKOV

• BORA BORA - Albert SERRA

• MOTHER AND SON - Léonor SERRAILLE

• EO - Jerzy SKOLIMOWSKI

• LE OTTO MONTAGNE - Charlotte VANDERMEERSCH, Felix VAN GROENINGEN

Special films out of competition

It's not only an honour to have a film in compeition, it's also an honour to screen and even premier the Cannes Film Festival! The following films, including the long awaited (and delayed due to Covid) sequel to Tom Cruise's mega hit Top Gun: Maverick. A massive premier was organised, including the #patrouilledefrance fighter jets flying over the Palais des Festival leaving a trail of blue, white and red over the Croisette. To read more about Top Gun, click here.

Baz Luhrman has also decided to premier his latest rock epic "Elvis" for a #festivaldecannes premier. Here are the other films showing this week but aren't in the running for the Palme d'Or:

TOP GUN: MAVERICK - Joseph KOSINSKI

ELVIS - Baz LUHRMANN

MASCARADE - Nicolas BEDOS

NOVEMBRE - Cédric JIMENEZ

TROIS MILLE ANS À T’ATTENDRE - George MILLER

L’INNOCENT - Louis GARREL

The Honorary Palme d'Or

Each year, a seasoned actor is awarded with an Honorary Palme d'Or, celebrating a long and lustrous career. Following Jodie Foster in 2021, actor Forest Whitaker is this year's honorary guest at the Opening Ceremony.

On this occasion, "For the Sake of Peace," directed by Christophe Castagne & Thomas Sametin and produced by Forest Whitaker, will be shown in a special screening Wednesday, May 18.

"When welcoming Forest Whitaker to Cannes, I was able to meet and admire an artist with intense charisma and a luminous presence", declares Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate. "His filmography is both dazzling and fully accomplished. I also observed closely his convictions as a man, and the attention he carries for the young generation. Through his faith in a better world and his commitment, he contributes to making it a better place. Rare are the artists that reach such a beautiful balance, and Forest achieves it and sets an example... This Palme d’or is a gesture of gratitude from the world of cinema".

In a statement, the actor said:

"34 years ago, attending Cannes for the first time changed my life, and assured me that I’d made the right decision to devote myself to finding connectivity in humanity through film. It’s always a privilege to return to this beautiful festival to both screen my own work, and to be inspired by many of the world’s greatest artists – and I feel incredibly honored to be celebrated as part of the Festival’s momentous 75th anniversary."

For more information and a full programme of the Festival, visit the official website: https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/festival/