Cannes Festival 2024: Cannes celebrates Philippe Erlanger

Born in Paris on July 11, 1903, and died in Cannes on November 23, 1987 (aged 84), Philippe Erlanger was a diplomat, historian, writer, biographer, art critic and journalist. In 1938, as director of the Association française d’action artistique, in charge of international artistic exchanges for the French government, he attended the Venice Mostra, which had been open to cinema since 1932, as a member of the jury. Against the backdrop of Fascist Italy, the prize list deeply shocked the democracies: the Grand Prix was awarded jointly to a film supervised by Mussolini’s son, and to Leni Riefenstahl’s German film, Les Dieux du Stade. The latter is not only an apology for fascism, but also a documentary. As such, it should have been excluded from the selection. On the train back to France, Philippe Erlanger, still reeling from the shock of the events, was already thinking about organizing an event to replace the Mostra, to give the world a free festival, without pressure or constraint. On his return, he contacted the authorities and soon presented his project. With the approval of Jean Zay, Minister of Education, and Albert Sarraut, Minister of the Interior, the idea of a rival festival in the south of France quickly gained ground. Cannes was chosen in the spring of 1939, but there wasn’t enough time to raise the funds, select the films and organize the festivities. The declaration of war put an end to this first edition. Although the real first edition of the Cannes Film Festival took place in 1946, the idea was born much earlier in the mind of Philippe Erlanger. He went on to become the Festival’s first delegate until 1951, and a member of the jury in 1953 and 1954. With this name, David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes, wishes to pay a lasting tribute to the commitment of this passionate man, who campaigned for the organization of the Festival in Cannes, whether he was a member of the jury or not.He wanted the Festival to be “a cinematographic event where art must not be influenced by political maneuvering”.