In the last year, the organizers behind the Cannes Film Festival have made a variety of changes to their event. From forcing Netflix out of the festival to banning selfies, this Cannes is sure to be different than previous. However, the most substantial change to the festival might be the new rules pertaining to journalists and press screenings.
According to the new rules, films debuting at the Cannes Film Festival will not be “previewed” for the press before the evening world premiere. In past years, the press would be able to attend early screenings of the films and would routinely review the film (sometimes harshly) before the actual premiere later in the evening. This would lead to some uncomfortable red carpet questions for filmmakers.
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To combat this, and to protect filmmakers, Cannes has now implemented a new rule that limits press screenings to either coincide with the official premiere or to happen the following morning. And in a recent email sent to press attending the upcoming festival, the team at Cannes explains, in more detail, why this rule was created.
“The schedule has not changed for decades. The underlying logic was based on usages blown to bits by the massive incursion of digital technologies in our professional and personal lives over the past fifteen or so years. Basically, as soon as a film is screened, the social networks turn it into confetti-like strips of rumors,” explains the email.
“As you already know, the principle behind the change we have introduced this year is simple: make the gala session, attended by the team that made the film, the veritable first screening of the film,” the email continues.
While we have to applaud the team for the phrase “confetti-like strips of rumors,” the admission that the new scheduling rules are to prevent any sort of media blowback against a film is a little disheartening. However, it is definitely understandable. Of course, the press believes that the reason the festival exists is to provide a first look at upcoming films, but for the organizers, this is all about the glitz and glam of the event, with the filmmakers and casts being the main attraction.
There are other reasons for the change in schedule, as well. “When the team walks the red carpet and enters the room, as the press gets ready to see the film, the moment will be far more powerful as no one will have already seen the film,” the email states.
So, there must have been a way to embargo the reviews and online reaction to the films until after the premieres, right? Considering this is how its done for damn near every other festival and major film release. Well, the team at Cannes says that due to the sheer size of the press presence, this is an impossibility.
“Given the number of journalists accredited in Cannes, a [24-hour] embargo was impossible. And it did not solve the problem of the other screenings before the Gala evening,” says the email.
It’ll be interesting to see the reaction to these new rules, as the event begins tomorrow. As always, stay tuned to The Playlist for all the news and reviews coming from the Cannes Film Festival.
