On May 14th, the Cannes Film Festival 2024 officially opened with the screening of “Le Deuxième Acte” directed by Quentin Dupieux.

The Cannes Film Festival President, Iris Knobloch, is rumored to have discreetly hired a crisis management communications firm to help the event navigate an impending storm. Meanwhile, former Warner Bros. CEO and trained attorney are also “heightening vigilance.” At this juncture, the festival organizers and crisis management firm have devised various contingency plans tailored to specific scenarios on how to deal with potential allegations.

The Cannes Film Festival stands as one of the most prestigious film events globally, showcasing the latest achievements and trends in the industry. This year, the festival takes place from May 14th to May 25th on the Cote d’Azur, France (local time), with approximately 40,000 attendees, including numerous stars and prominent figures in the film industry.

To ensure security for the event, local authorities have deployed 17 advanced AI cameras to detect suspicious behavior, abandoned objects, and aid in search and rescue efforts. Additionally, security personnel have been bolstered with 400 officers, 200 sergeants, and 66 supervisory staff, along with support from private security firms.

On May 14th, the Cannes Film Festival 2024 officially opened with the screening of “Le Deuxième Acte” directed by Quentin Dupieux. The red carpet event welcomed the presence of many leading global stars, such as the legendary Meryl Streep, recipient of the honorary Golden Palm, actresses Juliette Binoche, Lily Gladstone, Củng Lợi, and Deepti Sadhwani.

The President of the Cannes Jury, Greta Gerwig, along with the members of this year’s jury, gathered at the Martinez Hotel last night for a pre-opening dinner. The eight members of the Cannes Jury this year include Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, American actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, and Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, as well as Spanish director and screenwriter Juan Antonio Bayona, Italian actor and producer Pierfrancesco Favino, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, and French actor and producer Omar Sy.

Ahead of the opening ceremony, the #MeToo movement is expected to bring a “seismic shift” to the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Blick reported that if this information is accurate, it would be a “seismic shift” for the French film industry. “This list will shake up the French film industry, and moreover, it could destroy everything about the names mentioned,” Blick quoted a viewer’s comment.

However, in the latest development, Thierry Frémaux, the Festival’s Director since 2007, affirmed that these controversies would not affect the festival. “Last year, Cannes also faced controversies. This year, we still decided to organize a festival without controversies, to ensure that our main concern when present here is cinema,” said Frémaux.

“To achieve this long-term sustainability, the Cannes Film Festival remains faithful to its founding purpose. That is to attract attention and enhance the reputation of films, contribute to the development of cinema, promote the film industry worldwide, and honor international films,” he added.