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| Festival de Cannes (Un Certain Regard) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Festival de Cannes (Un Certain Regard) |
| Location | Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes |
| Country | France |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Director | Thierry Frémaux |
| Awards | Un Certain Regard Award, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress |
Festival de Cannes (Un Certain Regard)
The Un Certain Regard section of the Festival de Cannes functions as a parallel selection within the Festival de Cannes, spotlighting films from across France, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Iran and Brazil that display innovative narrative, aesthetic, or formal approaches; its programming sits alongside main competition entries such as those competing for the Palme d'Or and complements parallel sections like the Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week. Founded in the late 1970s during debates among figures such as Georges Pompidou, Pierre Viot, and cinematheque advocates associated with the Cannes Film Festival's institutional leadership, Un Certain Regard aims to diversify festival representation by highlighting authorship linked to movements like Dogme 95, New Argentine Cinema, Iranian New Wave, and New German Cinema.
Un Certain Regard operates as a curated sidebar within the larger Festival de Cannes ecosystem, presenting features and shorts by emerging and established auteurs drawn from regions including Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East; selections often intersect with institutions such as the Cannes Film Market, the European Film Academy, and distributors like Pathé, StudioCanal, Sony Pictures Classics and A24. The section's highest prize, the Un Certain Regard Award, is adjudicated by juries composed of professionals affiliated with bodies such as the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), and national film bodies like the British Film Institute and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC). Programming choices frequently foster festival runs into awards circuits including the Academy Awards, the César Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the BAFTA Awards.
Un Certain Regard was established in 1978 under the presidency of figures connected with the French Ministry of Culture and festival administrators reacting to shifts initiated by earlier festivals featuring films by Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock and by the success of parallel programs such as the New York Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival's sidebars. Early selections included works resonant with auteurs like Andrei Tarkovsky, Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, Mikio Naruse and Eric Rohmer, and the section later featured breakthrough films from directors associated with movements like Cinema Novo and the Nollywood emergence. Institutional changes over decades involved directors and festival delegates including Pierre Lescure, Thierry Frémaux, Marina Foïs and programmers collaborating with archival institutions such as the Cinémathèque Française.
Selection criteria emphasize formal innovation and directorial voice, with programmers sourcing titles from festivals and markets including the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, Locarno Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, and the Rotterdam Film Festival. Juries have included industry professionals from organizations like the European Film Academy, the Motion Picture Academy, representatives from distributors such as Neon, IFC Films, and critics from outlets tied to Cahiers du Cinéma, Sight & Sound, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The jury awards the Un Certain Regard Award, Jury Prize, Best Director, and special mentions; awardees often gain support from funding bodies such as the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (SACD), CNC, and national film institutes like the Australian Film Commission and National Film Development Corporation of India.
Winners and selections have included directors and films that later achieved broader recognition: entries by Jim Jarmusch, Wong Kar-wai, Giorgos Lanthimos, Lynne Ramsay, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Asghar Farhadi, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Paolo Sorrentino, Yorgos Lanthimos and Pedro Almodóvar have traversed from Un Certain Regard to awards circuits including the Academy Awards and national prizes like the César Awards and Goya Awards. Landmark films associated with the section encompass works tied to movements such as Iranian New Wave exemplars by Majid Majidi and Jafar Panahi, Latin American breakthroughs by Alejandro González Iñárritu and Lucrecia Martel, as well as experimental entries connected to European art cinema and auteurs like Claire Denis and Kristin Scott Thomas collaborators.
Selection in Un Certain Regard often catalyzes distribution deals with companies such as Kino Lorber, Magnolia Pictures, BFI Distribution, and streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Studios, and MUBI, while enabling funding relationships with bodies like the Eurimages fund, the World Cinema Fund, and national cinemas such as Cinémathèque Française and the CNC. Filmmakers have leveraged Un Certain Regard visibility to secure talent associations with producers linked to Working Title Films, Cinéma Defacto, and agents from agencies like CAA and UTA, and to access co-production networks involving countries represented at markets like the Marché du Film.
The section has faced criticism from commentators in outlets such as Cahiers du Cinéma, Sight & Sound, The New York Times, and Le Monde regarding issues of representation, alleged favors toward established festival circuits like Berlin International Film Festival and Venice Film Festival, accusations of politicized programming related to disputes involving Iranian filmmakers and sanctions, and debates over selection transparency involving figures linked to Festival de Cannes leadership and corporate partners such as LVMH and Vivendi.
Data across decades show that Un Certain Regard programming includes hundreds of features from over a hundred countries, with repeat national representation from France, Japan, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, Iran, South Korea, Argentina and Brazil; statistical highlights include repeat laureates who later achieved Academy Award nominations, and distribution uptake rates that intersect with market trends measured by entities like the European Audiovisual Observatory and industry analysis from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.