The Cannes Film Festival, until 2003 called the International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. The festival was formally accredited by the FIAPF in 1951.
Stephen Stapleton is an artist, social entrepreneur, and founding director of Edge of Arabia, CULTURUNNERS, and the UK charity The Crossway Foundation.
The Directors' Fortnight is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as an act of solidarity with striking workers.
Nujoom Alghanem is an Emirati poet, artist and film director. She has published eight poetry collections and has directed more than twenty films. Alghanem is active in her community and is considered a well established writer and filmmaker in the Arab world. Her achievements in the arts have been recognized both nationally and internationally. She is the cofounder of Nahar Productions, a film production company based in Dubai. Currently she works as a professional mentor in filmmaking and creative writing, as well as a cultural and media consultant.
Haifaa al-Mansour is a Saudi Arabian film director. She is one of the country's best-known and one of the first female Saudi filmmakers.
Shih-Ching Tsou is a Taiwan-born film producer, director, and actress. She co-directed the film Take Out (2004) with Sean Baker. She also produced Baker's other films Starlet (2012), Tangerine (2015), The Florida Project (2017) and Red Rocket (2021).
The 65th Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian film director Nanni Moretti was the president of the jury for the main competition and British actor Tim Roth was the president of the jury for the Un Certain Regard section. French actress Bérénice Bejo hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.
Miguel Gomes is a Portuguese film director. He studied cinema at Lisbon Theatre and Film School. His films include The Face You Deserve (2004), Our Beloved Month of August (2008) and Tabu (2012), Arabian Nights (2015) and Grand Tour (2024). For the last, he won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Rebecca Zlotowski is a French film director and screenwriter.
The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Ethan Coen and Joel Coen were the Co-Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separate vote, they were joined by seven other jurors to form the customary nine-juror panel. French actor Lambert Wilson was the host for the opening and closing ceremonies. The Official Selection of films for the 2015 festival, including the line-up for the Main Competition, was announced on 16 April 2015.
Ali Cherri is a Lebanese artist working in video and installation. His varied practice focuses on documenting and presenting heritage and environment in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries.
Zoulikha Bouabdellah is a Russian-born contemporary artist of Algerian descent. She lives and works in Casablanca and Paris.
The 70th Cannes Film Festival took place from 17 to 28 May 2017, in Cannes, France. Spanish film director and screenwriter Pedro Almodóvar was the president of the jury for the festival and Italian actress Monica Bellucci hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. Ismael's Ghosts, directed by French director Arnaud Desplechin, was the opening film for the festival.
Wael Shawky is an Egyptian artist working between Alexandria and Philadelphia. Shawky gained international recognition for his works that trace the history of the Crusades through a Middle Eastern lens. Shawky has won many awards and prizes for his work, including the Ernst Schering Foundation Art Award in 2011 and the Mario Merz Prize (2015) for his film trilogy, Al Araba Al Madfuna. He is represented by Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Galleria Lia Rumma and Lisson Gallery.
The role of women in the arts and cultural life in the highly patriarchal society of Saudi Arabia is very limited. Below, examples of contributions in literature, music, cinema, and television that have been made by women in Saudi Arabia are discussed.
Ahd Hassan Kamel is an actress and filmmaker from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is known for her role in the BAFTA-nominated film, Wadjda (2014) and for her role as Fatima in BBC Two's Collateral (2018).
Hassan Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel is a Saudi businessman and philanthropist. He is Deputy President and Vice Chairman of Saudi Arabia operations of the family-owned international conglomerate business Abdul Latif Jameel, which, among numerous business operations, has distribution rights to Toyota vehicles in Saudi Arabia and other countries. His philanthropy work promotes health and safety, and assists job-seekers and those in need in Saudi Arabia.
Rayyane Tabet is a Lebanese visual artist, known for his sculpture.
The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is a film festival that took place from 17 to 28 May 2022. The festival featured a tribute to actor Tom Cruise, whose film Top Gun: Maverick premiered at the festival and where the actor was awarded an Honorary Palme d'Or award on short notice. The official poster for the festival was designed as a homage to The Truman Show (1998).
Léa Mysius is a French film director and screenwriter. In 2017, she made her feature directorial debut with the film Ava, which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival where it won the SACD Award. Her second feature film, The Five Devils, was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. As a screenwriter, Mysius has also collaborated with Arnaud Desplechin on Ismael's Ghosts (2017) and Oh Mercy! (2019), Jacques Audiard on Paris, 13th District (2021) and Claire Denis on Stars at Noon (2022).
