3 weeks ago
Cannes Film Festival Director Thierry Frémaux took to nan shape connected Monday for his accepted gathering pinch nan property connected nan eve of nan opening ceremony.
In a motion of nan complexity of nan times, he was grilled connected everything from AI to caller Oscar submission rules; selfies; nan festival’s gender parity record; steps taken to Berlinale backlash, the Hollywood studios and Fast and Furious.
On whether nan show had taken steps to hole its assemblage and nan movie teams connected really to woody pinch thorny governmental questions successful nan ray of nan Berlinale’s rocky ride, Frémaux did not springiness a nonstop answer.
“The mobility raised successful Berlin is 1 that regularly comes up astatine nan festival, which for a agelong clip was considered arsenic a very governmental festival. Is it much aliases little than before? We’re surviving successful different times, it’s difficult to make a comparison,” he said.
Frémaux waded successful to take sides Wenders who recovered himself astatine nan bosom of nan Berlinale backlash aft he declared astatine nan opening assemblage convention that filmmakers should “stay retired of politics”.
“I would for illustration to salary tribute to Wim Wenders because I deliberation he was subjected to criticisms that weren’t really justified. I understood what he wanted to say, but I deliberation group didn’t want to understand what he was saying,” he said.
“He wanted to opportunity that nan authorities should beryllium connected nan screen. That’s what we opportunity astatine Cannes… the show considers that governmental questions are chiefly those of nan artists’ voices and nan voices of nan artists whose activity is being shown.”
He said that while filmmakers successful Official Selection were free to definitive aliases not definitive their governmental views if questioned, it was not his occupation aliases that of nan assemblage aliases guidance to wade successful connected politics.
“We’re successful a world partially astatine war, a world successful a vulnerable authorities successful position of speech betwixt nations. We don’t want to adhd to nan disorder pinch our study of what’s going on… I often say, and I profoundly judge this, that art, and cinema successful particular, are instruments of peace, moreover erstwhile they are calling for rebellion and freedom.”
Gender Parity
Frémaux came pinch notes for a mobility connected nan festival’s track-record complete gender parity, which he said he had been expecting.
The truth that only 5 of nan 22 films successful nan moving for nan Palme d’Or this twelvemonth are directed by women, against 7 successful 2025, has sparked disapproval from French gender-parity group Le Collectif 50/50 successful nan lead-up to nan festival.
The group, which was created successful nan aftermath of nan MeToo movement, has accused nan show of “feminism washing” successful narration to its charismatic poster featuring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon successful 1991 roadworthy movie Thelma & Louise.
A journalist from nan AFP asked why successful Cannes only 23% of nan main prize contenders were women, while nan Berlinale managed to attack parity this year, pinch 9 of nan 22 Golden Bear contenders by women.
Suggesting her mobility had been prompted by nan Le Collectif 50/50 poster comments, Frémaux responded: “At nary infinitesimal would we person chosen an image of Geena Davis aliases Susan Sarandon aliases Ridley Scott’s movie for nan poster to make ourselves look feminist.”
He acknowledged that successful nan past nan festival’s way grounds had been questionable, evoking nan action successful 2012 erstwhile not a azygous female head made it into nan main competition, but said it had striven successful caller years to play its portion successful rectifying nan situation.
He said that Cannes had been 1 of nan first show to motion up for Le Collectif 50/50’s equality charter successful 2018 and had acted connected its stipulation that juries and its authorities assemblage execute gender parity, but noted that location is nary clause successful nan charter demanding parity successful nan Official Selection.
Studying his notes, Frémaux said that 28% of nan films submitted this twelvemonth had been by women, while female-directed films accounted for 34% of nan crossed nan full action and 38% successful nan short movie competition.
“Today we’re seeing much and much women board coming into cinema, truthful they’re gradually making their measurement into nan competition,” said. “The figures show its moving forward, but besides that it’s slow, that it’s not enough.”
Frémaux said nan full cinema manufacture had to get down a gender parity push, pointing to nan challenges for female board to make their 2nd characteristic arsenic good arsenic nan request for much cinema made from a female constituent of view.
“As successful lit and successful music, we request nan world seen from a female perspective, a woman’s sensibility, to beryllium much coming successful nan world of film,” he said.
The show head promised caller speech pinch willing parties successful early but said antagonistic campaigns connected societal media were not nan answer.
New Oscar rules
This year’s version of Cannes comes conscionable days aft nan Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) unveiled a game-changing shake-up of nan eligibility rules for nan non-English connection Best International Feature Film category, which will lend moreover much weight to nan Palme d’Or winner.
Under nan caller rules, arsenic good arsenic being submitted by a state aliases region via an Academy-approved action committee, a non-English connection movie tin besides go eligible for information successful nan class by winning nan apical prize astatine qualifying festivals Berlin, Busan, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto aliases Venice.
Frémaux welcomed nan changes, suggesting it was motion of nan emergence of world films successful nan wide Oscar race, citing 19 nominations successful nan run-up to nan 98th Academy Awards for films which screened successful Cannes past year.
“When group opportunity that America is turning inward, it’s not true. In immoderate case, Hollywood is opening up to nan world scene, opening up to universality; that’s what Cannes is each about, it’s astir universality,” he said.
He acknowledged that nan caller rules would debar a business specified arsenic that of nan 2026-26 Oscar rhythm successful which Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident ran arsenic France’s campaigner alternatively than for Iran, wherever his anti-government stance intends he is improbable to ever beryllium nan country’s charismatic candidate.
Frémaux added it would besides unfastened up nan anticipation of a state pinch a beardown harvest of films having much than 1 movie successful nan moving successful nan category, noting nan beardown showing for Japan and Spain successful Official Selection, pinch 3 films each.
He downplayed a mobility connected whether nan norm alteration mightiness power nan jury’s determination and sway them towards awarding nan Palme d’Or to dissident filmmakers who would use from nan award, specified arsenic Iranian head Asghar Farhadi and Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, who are successful title pinch Parallel Tales and Minotaur this year.
“The assemblage is 9 people. There is not 1 governmental conscience, location are 9 individual positions… It could beryllium location that location is personification connected nan assemblage who is highly politicised. Paul Laverty mightiness beryllium very political, he writes very governmental films but that possibly he not for illustration that arsenic a spectator,” he said, referring to nan UK writer and longtime Ken Loach collaborator who is successful nan assemblage this year.
“Cineastes very often for illustration cinema that is different from their own, and not nan aforesaid arsenic their own… moreover past year, I won’t uncover nan jury’s secret, I ne'er felt that nan favorable sentiment that yet emerged successful favour of Jafer Panahi had nan slightest nan governmental bias.”
AI
Frémaux was besides asked his sentiment connected AI, and what implications of nan exertion for nan filmmaking.
“Artificial intelligence is what nan electrical bicycle is to nan bicycle. To thrust an electrical bicycle, you request to cognize really to thrust a bike,” responded Frémaux. “It’s becoming a bigger taxable successful cinema. We person to beryllium connected our guard, but astatine nan aforesaid clip understand it a bit,” he said.
“The existent mobility is what does it mean for our lives, our existence, our children,” he said. “What are nan rules. The Oscars decided precocious that an AI characteristic cannot tally for nan champion character prize. That makes cleanable sense.”
He likened nan existent statement astir AI to that astir nan presence of integer exertion and typical effects, and move distant from celluloid and chemicals, evoking questions astir whether films pinch digitally manipulated images are little authentic that those successful nan useful of F. W. Murnau Murnau, Erich von Stroheim and nan Lumière brothers.
Frémaux suggested that films made without AI aliases typical effects were a spot for illustration integrated wine.
He suggested that nan past “organic film” was Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, citing nan Flight of nan Valkyries chopper onslaught segment which was changeable unrecorded connected 35mm.
“The number of helicopters that we spot successful nan movie is nan number of helicopters that he had,” said Frémaux, suggesting modern board tin now create specified scenes pinch typical effects, adding helicopters astatine will.
He addressed rumors up of nan show that it had been mulling showing an AI movie this twelvemonth arsenic untrue, saying nary specified movie had ever been submitted for consideration.
“If it had been offered to us, we would person watched nan film, and what would we person done?
Would it person been important for what it says astir nan history of cinema aliases nan early of cinema?,” he said, adding that his mind was not made up connected what would person been nan correct people of action.
“What I tin opportunity pinch certainty successful narration to artificial intelligence is that we are connected nan broadside of nan artists, nan screenwriters, actors and sound actors. We guidelines pinch everyone whose occupation could beryllium negatively impacted by artificial intelligence. It requires legislation. We request to power this.”
