Film Industry: Analysis of the Venice and Cannes film festivals

Résumé du document

The Venice Film Festival, also known as the Mostra, is the oldest film festival in the world, as its first opening dates from 1932. At first, the festival was only an art exhibition, to which music, cinema, theater, architecture and eventually dance were added, which makes it a unique festival. According to its organizers, the Festival aims to “raise awareness and promote all the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance”.

The Official Selection is composed of several sections: "Venice 65" (for the 65th edition), "Out of Competition", "Horizons" "Against the stream", and Corto Cortissimo. The films are selected into these sections, according to specific requirements. The festival only presents world premieres of international cinema and awards the best movie with the famous Golden Lion. 'Out of Competition' shows important works of the year by directors already established in the past editions of the festival. "Horizons" is dedicated to new international trends, under the form of a long feature films or documentary. "Controcampo Italiano" provides an overview of Italian cinema's latest trends. Finally, Corto Cortissimo is a competition of short films.

Extraits

[...] Directed by Laurent Cantet. France: Haut et Court. Matt Smith, Lionsgate UK [Conference]. Oxford Brookes University. [...]

[...] In 1959, the creation of the Marché du Film (Film Market) gave Cannes its commercial dimension. This professional show projects films, promotes meetings between sellers and buyers. The Film Market also manages the Cinando website, now the largest database of the world's film industry. Finally, the Producer's Network introduces producers between eachother and allows them to exchange their projects. Fourthly, Cannes enhances its welcome to foreign film industries, with the Village International, welcoming about thirty countries for them to promote their culture, institutions and developing international exchanges. [...]

[...] La Biennale di Venezia Regulations. [Online] Available at: http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/regulations/en/5799.html [Accessed 15 April 2009] Laurent Creton (p. 158) La stratégie promotionnelle. In Presses Sorbonne Nouvelle, ed. Cinéma et Stratégies: Economie des interdépendances. Baptiste Debureau L'Amérique éclabousse la Mostra de Venise. [Online] Rue 89. Available at: http://www.rue89.com/2007/09/01/lamerique-eclabousse-la-mostra-de-venise [Accessed 15 April 2009] Festival de Cannes Festival Organisation. [Online] Available at: http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/about/organisation.html [Accessed 15 April 2009] Cannes Retrospective: Cannes, il y a 60 ans. [Online]. Available at: http://www.cannes.com/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=517&Itemid= [Accessed 15 April 2009] The Class [Film]. [...]

[...] On the other hand, Venice opens its door much more easily, with specific times where the general public can attend the screenings. They both show the latest trends, privileging the auteur cinema and supporting independent works. The industry needs such events to attract and gather the professionals, in order to support the business. The festivals also provide the publicity needed for the promotion of the films, by exhibiting stars in particular. The festivals are a celebration as much as a business meeting that no one can afford to miss. [...]

[...] Indeed, Cannes Festival was created to compete with the Biennale. At the end of the 1930's, the films selection of the Italian Festival was deeply influenced by the fascist German and Italian governments which shocked and offended France. This is why Jean Zay, French minister of the Public Instruction of Arts, suggested the idea of an International Film Festival in France. However, the first Festival de Cannes had to wait until the war was over to open-up. When the time came to do it, the two nations were no longer enemies, so they scheduled their events at a different time of the year, after many negotiations and pourparlers. [...]