a

JOURNEY
to
CANNES

MAY 2023
 THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL AND
MARCHÉ DU FILM :
HOW DO THEY WORK ?

WHAT YOU WILL SOON DISCOVER…

• The different markets and competitions
• The different places (screening places, the ‘bunker’…)
• The different, famous places to stay and to meet people (hotels, restaurants and their
specificities)

CANNES WITHIN THE INDUSTRY

‣ Festival
Special event screening of films to the public in a different context from the regular
commercial release of films.
• Cannes is competitive
• Cannes is restricted to world premieres
• Cannes has an international dimension
• Directors, stars, press and industry players participate
• Cannes is a major glamorous event in the cinema industry

‣ Market
Screening of films to industry professionals with the express intention of buying and selling
films.
• These may be finished films, promo reels, scripts or just a synopsis.
• The selling can be done by producers (rarely), film sales agents, agents.
• The buying is done by international distributors, national distributors.
• The industry professionals will also include people such as film exhibition professionals
(cinema programmers, festival programmers), ancillary rights buyers…
• Occasionally, directors will also attend market screenings, but most of the time the press
will be excluded.

2
ACCREDITATION
To attend the festival or the market in Cannes, you have to have some form of
accreditation, which will identify your professional interest in being there and define the
how, where and when of the screenings you can attend. Cannes and almost all major
markets accreditations will require payment. A special fee for the Producers Network
launched in 2004.

SELECTION PROCESS
Cannes invites films to participate.
This is done by the Festival Director, who may have a selection committee, or national
representatives in key territories who make a pre-selection.
• You can apply directly but it is better with a sale agent on board
• National Film organisations put specific titles forward
• The festival may invite the Director and Star of the film to attend, but they never invite the
producer.

There is no selection procedure for a market. There, the producer or sales agent submits a
request for a screening, for which they pay and are allocated a number of slots to screen
their film. The talents are not invited to attend.

SECTIONS OF THE COMPETITION

Several sections, with their own name (Sélection Officielle, Un Certain Regard, La
Quinzaine des Cinéastes, Perspective du cinéma français, La Semaine de la Critique et
Cannes Junior), often with their own selection committee and with their own identity. For
example the main competitions may only have films previously unseen anywhere. This
distinction does not exist formally in a Market ; some of the films will be premieres and
others will have already been screened somewhere.

THE AUDIENCE
The audience varies from festival to festival. Most have an allocation of tickets, usually on
sale, for the public, which is always in very high demand and usually require hours of
queuing. In Cannes, it means that sometimes professionals can’t make it.
The different strata of accredited people can attend, and so can pres (usually at their own
screenings, though not always for each section). Markets are for accredited professionals
only - no press nor public is present. In either case, an accreditation is no guarantee for a
ticket and often at major festivals, accreditation and ticketing is prioritized, and demand
exceeds supply.

3
Cannes is a great place to be if you want to see a lot of films. But even for screenings only,
you have to get yourself organized. You don’t queue for the Competition: you need
invitations. For the sélections parallèles, Un Certain Regard and Perspective Du Cinéma
Français or La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, you have to start queuing at least 30 minutes
before the screening.

Note: Some cities are known for their warm reception and enthusiastic audiences – Toronto
and San Sebastian for instance. Others have a reputation for being quite unforgiving –
Cannes, Sundance. But beware ! A festival audience is NOT representative of the general
public and there is sometimes a very big disparity between a festival ‘hit’ and a commercial
release. The phenomenon of a ‘festival film’ is very real and can be very deceptive.

REGULATIONS
• Main ‘A’ list Festivals: Cannes, Berlin, Moscow, Venice, Rotterdam, Toronto, Shanghai,
Locarno, Montreal, San Sebastian, Tokyo and Cairo.

• There are something between 650-800 other festivals worldwide.

• FIAPF is the regulatory body for the ‘A’ and ‘B’ list festivals but each festival has different
regulations and there is a pecking order which makes it imperative for you to know what
it is you are trying to achieve by participating, what you can gain and what you can also
loose.

• We will come back to this later when we talk about strategy, but make sure to check
regulation information before you agree to participate in a festival. Almost all festivals have
a website. Each market has its own rules and regulations but they are more commercial
than to do with content. There is no overall regulatory body.

OVERVIEW
• Festivals can have International and/or national impact.
• Reputations can be both made and broken at a major festival.
• Participating in national festivals can be an excellent way to meet local producers,
distributors, exhibitors and press.
• Small festivals can be a lot of fun and very culturally rewarding. But in any case, be
careful not to play out a film’s potential by over-screening it at festivals without ever
coming to the market places, unless it is part of your strategy or a reality imposed on
you. Cannes is not usually a lot of fun, so be prepared for something very different from
other experiences.

4
• Festival and Market screenings can be combined. Most sales agents will not take a film
to more than 3 markets, due to the very high cost that comes from participating in these.

PRESS
• Not all films in a festival get coverage
• Some get too much coverage, and then don’t get covered when they are released
• Festival critics can be MERCILESS as well as ECSTATIC… ecstatic can be dangerous
• You cannot control who from the press covers your film - even the very best press
attaché cannot guarantee a specific Variety or Screen International reviewer.
• Films cannot be embargoed.
• When you take a film to a festival, you expose it to scrutiny, so be sure about what you
are doing and the reasons why you are doing it.

Distributors, Exhibitors and Festival director read the film industry press.
The press kit you supply during the first festival you attend will become THE source of
information on the film. So make sure it is well written, accurate, interesting and that there
is a good English translation available. Your press release will come back to haunt you for
years to come – on the internet, in catalogues on DVD sleeve notes.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT

FROM CANNES?
IDENTIFY YOUR OWN STRATEGY

‣ If you are a producer / distributor / sales agent

• have a film in competition
• have a film to sell OR to buy at the market
• don’t have any film in Cannes, and if you are searching for new partners for your
development, co-production, for new talents.

‣ If you are a director

• make contact
• promote yourself
• create the buzz on your projects
• see what’s going on in the world
5
…depending on your answers :

BEFORE CANNES
How can you prepare your stay in Cannes ?

• Prepare a budget. Know how much things cost and then decide.
• Use your national cultural support systems, embassies and sometimes even sponsors to
help you (but be careful there is no clash with the festival organisation)
• Make your appointments in advance but not too much in advance either
• Prepare the material you will need (flyers, business cards)
• Prepare a pitch or several pitches from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long
• How long will you stay? Identify the right duration of your stay and when it is better to be
in Cannes
• Psychological preparation : Cannes is both exciting and overwhelming
• Consult the catalogues

DURING CANNES : PRACTICAL GUIDE

• Accreditation, offices : everything is well explained on their website
• Details to have in mind : clothes, place to stay, to be seen ...
• Use of the catalogue when you’re there
• Identify a place to be everyday. People do not wait !
• Mobile phones : use a French number but do not forgot to write the number on your
business card.

AFTER CANNES : HOW CAN YOU BENEFIT FROM THE FESTIVAL ?

• Keep in touch with the professionals you’ve met - it is sometimes more important than
the meeting itself.
• Select business cards you will collect
• Write a memo for yourself in order to keep a memory of your Cannes 2023 for the next
future

6
 STRATEGY
You are making a film or have completed a film, and you want it screened a festival : what
should you do now ?

KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE

Be realistic. Is it commercial, art-house, highly specialist, a crowd pleaser, sombre?
Does it have outstanding performances by stars or otherwise, that could get awards ?
Can it be considered exceptional by anyone other than your mother and the director?
If it is a competitive festival, weigh up the benefit of being there against getting lost in the
crowd. A specific problem for first films in major international Festival?
Try to remain objective in your assessment. The question is not whether it is good or bad,
but where it will best reach its audience. Where can it make an impact and how can it find
its place in the market?
Check the market and see what the others have on hand

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Do you want/need to make international sales to pay back investors?
Do you just want to break even so that you can get on with your next film.
Do you have partners who have conflicting needs and desires from yours ? Or are you all
likeminded ?
You do not care about the financial aspect but just want to get recognition, get your
message across… and will your partners see it that way too?
Do you need theatrical exposure to get TV sales ?
Can you wait the 3, 6, 9 months or more necessary to be in the festival of your dreams ?
And then, what if doesn’t get in ?
Can you speed up your post-production schedule if necessary without there being a risk
for the film in order to enter Cannes ?

All of these are valid considerations. There is no right answer. You have to know what you
want at any given time, but be flexible enough in your thinking to adjust your plans (which is
not the same as changing your mind all the time).

KEY CONSIDERATIONS
What, if any, are the release plans for your film ? And how do they fit in with the timing of
the festival ?
7
If you are the lead Producer, you are ultimately responsible for the main decisions, and this
may at times conflict with the desires of the director onboard.
If you are the co-producer, you are only responsible for your territory/ies but you should not
jeopardize the lead producer.
If you are the Producer and Director you may find yourself with a conflict of interests
between business and pleasure, commercial and cultural interests.
Once you have decided what you want to do, make sure you know the dates, regulations
and selection procedure. Sometimes you may be approached by a festival directly.

OTHER FACTORS
Participating in Cannes festival can involve :
• Sales agents
• Agents
• Local distributors
• International Press Attaches
• Local Press Attaches
• Cast and Crew
• As well as the festival organisation itself

Entering and participating can entail many costs (shipping should be covered by the
festival)
• Entry fees
• Subtitled prints
• Video cassettes
• EPKs
• Travel, living expenses
• Press books
• A party, a cocktail ... it's impossible to improvise.
Even if a sales agent or local distributor is picking up the tab, it is still your money as it will
be deducted later down the line. Sales agents also take a percentage of sales made.

8
 DON’T FORGET
‣ Whenever more than 2 people in the film business are in the same place at the same
time, then business can be done. Co-production can be made. Ideas can be developed.

‣ New projects can be pitched. Old projects can be resurrected. Be prepared to make the
most of any given situation without taking advantage of people.

‣ Festivals can be a lot of fun and hugely productive, but they can also be very
disappointing and frustrating. Keep things in perspective.

‣ The film business is a business of relationships that are built up over years on an
international circuit, with festivals and markets at the centre stage.

‣ The industry is moving fast: professionals, whether they like it or not, cannot think
nationally when they want to produce features, they have to think internationally, not only
in terms of audience but also in terms of financing.

‣ Talents have no nationality and you can attract them with good subjects and / or good
money. Cannes is a place where you can meet, introduce yourself and the possibilities
that are impossible to find in your territory. Cannes is a place you can / have to seduce
people : directors, co-producers, distributors, sale agent...

‣ Cannes’ official langage is English so…you are lucky !

‣ Get ready to be the seducer, not the seduced !

If you have any questions regarding your stay in Cannes,

get in touch with us !

9
 MEMO

Please join us for a pre-festival meeting on the

Wednesday, May 17th
5.30 - 6.30 pm

at this address :
N° 7, 2ème rue du Barri
06400 Cannes

INITIATIVE FILM IN CANNES :

‣ Address
N° 7, 2ème rue du Barri
06400 Cannes

‣ Phone numbers
Isabelle + 33 (0)6 82 80 16 49
Hakim + 33 (0)6 13 51 51 22

10