Cannes Film Festival, Between Cinematic Art and Superficial Bling Bling

Each spring, the Croisette becomes a global stage where art and image, substance and spectacle, collide under the Mediterranean sun. The Cannes Film Festival, founded in 1946, is officially a celebration of cinematic excellence-yet it has increasingly come to embody a deeper cultural paradox: the uneasy coexistence of profound artistic ambition and the hyper-stylized spectacle of celebrity culture. This duality raises fundamental questions about the role of cinema today, and whether Cannes is a sanctuary for film as art, or a catwalk for fame and fashion.

The Legacy of Artistic Prestige
Cannes has long been regarded as the Olympus of auteur cinema. The Palme d'Or remains one of the highest honors in filmmaking, awarded to directors whose works push the boundaries of form and content. From Fellini to Tarantino, Haneke to Bong Joon-ho, the festival has enshrined cinema as a medium capable of philosophical inquiry, political resistance, and formal innovation.

Jury presidents-often artists themselves-are charged with defending that legacy. The carefully curated Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, and Directors' Fortnight are meant to reflect a diversity of voices, styles, and global perspectives. Films like Parasite (2019) or Anatomy of a Fall (2023) exemplify Cannes' commitment to narrative complexity, social commentary, and aesthetic experimentation.

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, held from 13 to 24 May 2025, is presided over by French actress Juliette Binoche, marking 40 years since her first appearance at the festival. Binoche's extensive filmography and commitment to artistic integrity underscored the festival's dedication to cinematic excellence.

The official selection featured a diverse array of films, like Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut Eleanor the Great, Ari Aster's Eddington starring Joaquin Phoenix, and Kristen Stewart's The Chronology of Water, which received a six-minute standing ovation. Tom Cruise premiered Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, the eighth installment in the franchise, which received a five-minute standing ovation, also.

The festival also paid homage to cinematic legends, awarding the Honorary Palme d'Or to Robert De Niro during the opening ceremony.

And yet, that cinematic purity is increasingly wrapped in another reality.

The Cult of Image and the Rise of the Red Carpet

For a global audience, Cannes is not primarily a film festival-it's a visual event. Millions engage with it through Instagram slideshows, TikTok clips, and fashion magazine spreads. The red carpet, once a ceremonial entrance to cinematic sanctity, has become a competitive arena of couture. Fashion houses sponsor celebrities' appearances; influencers without film affiliations walk alongside Oscar-winning directors.

The growing presence of brand partnerships and luxury endorsements points to a market-driven shift: the commodification of visibility. For many attendees, the question is not "What film are you premiering?" but "Who are you wearing?" This shift reframes Cannes not just as a cultural institution, but as a high-stakes branding ecosystem, where film and fashion perform a delicate pas de deux.

Celebrity and Influence vs. Cinema: A New Cultural Hierarchy?

There is something emblematic in the way paparazzi flashes often outshine the screenings themselves. A bold political film may be eclipsed in the headlines by a viral wardrobe malfunction or an unexpected celebrity kiss. This is not unique to Cannes-it is part of the broader spectacle economy-but Cannes seems to embody this contradiction in its most distilled, glamorous form.

Moreover, streaming platforms and social media have democratized attention, challenging Cannes' traditional hierarchy of prestige. A TikTok influencer might attract more coverage at Cannes than the director of a bold, formally daring debut. The festival, once a meritocratic temple of cinematic excellence, now navigates an attention economy where visibility often trumps value.

Between Art and Image: A Festival in Crisis-or in Evolution?

Is Cannes in crisis, or merely evolving with its time? One could argue that the tension between cinematic purity and superficial glamour reflects the very condition of contemporary culture, where depth and surface coexist, not always harmoniously, but inevitably.Still, watching the way the focus shifts, we may say something is fading making way to another ... 

By Andra Oprea