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Paper Abstract: Role of festivals in the film industry. How they work. History and growth of film festivals. Differentiation between them with respect to niche markets, genres or constituencies. Primacy of the Cannes Film Festival. Effect of political upheavals on Cannes. Other films festivals including Venice, Berlin, New York, Toronto, Sundance, India, Cairo. Paper Introduction: An Overview of the History of Film Festivals In the film industry, festivals at which films are screened, judged, and evaluated and their producers, directors, and casts acknowledged with prestigious awards, have become increasingly commonplace in recent decades. There are few countries with a thriving film industry that do not sponsor one or more such festivals and many major cities or other locales have come to the realization that festivals of this type attract tourists, journalists, and filmgoers willing to spend at times substantial sums of money in pursuit of their interests (Cowie S13). This brief essay will examine the at times turbulent history of film festivals, demonstrating that as such festivals have proliferated, their have also begun to differentiate and to address either niche markets, genres, or constituencies. The b Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The oldest festival, according to ToddMcCarthy (S3), was held in Venice in 1932; as Mussolini and the Nazis cameto dominate the event, the Venice Festival jury exhibited its rejection ofwar and awarded top prize to Jean Renoir's pacifist-minded La GrandeIllusion in 1938. In discussing the hundreds of film festivals that take place everyyear, The Economist (1 1) stated that "the larger ones generate tourismmoney and premier big Hollywood films alongside smaller European fare."They also provide an opportunity for filmmakers and actors to win new work,create new deals, and potentially generate box office awards. Some films that do well and earntop awards such as Cannes' palme d'Or go on to box office success and toestablish the careers of their directors and cast. A recent and extremely popular and influential film festival is heldunder the auspices of Robert Redford in Sundance, Utah. Sundance is seen as aquintessentially American film festival at which so-called "outlaw" filmsare likely to be shown and at which urban movements, political correctness,and collegiate enthusiasm tends to predominate (Dayan 43). Works Cited "The Festival Bounce." The Economist, 19 Sept. One of the factors that contributes to the perceived superiority ofone film festival over another is the degree to which its juried awards arevalued by the industry and perceived as leading to box office success.Another factor leading to the exclusivity of a film festival is theavailability of tickets. "In Quest of a Festival." National Forum, Fall 1997, 77: 41-48.Hawkins, Bob. These are the venerable filmfestivals held in Cannes, Venice, and Berlin along with the highlyprestigious New York, Toronto, Montreal, and Sundance film festivals (Roman9). In the 196 s, as the film industry in European andAsian countries began to expand, Cannes' most prestigious awards werediverted from French films to films produced in Sweden, Italy, GreatBritain, and Japan. The scale of festivals varies widely. 2 1, 21: 6.Cowie, Peter. They are also opportunitiesfor other key participants in the film industry - actors and actresses,writers, cinematographers, editors, and film critics - to mingle andpromote their own efforts or acquire new relationships. Cowie (2 44) believes that film festivals of all types and in alllocales are much more than self-congratulatory industry events. This brief essay willexamine the at times turbulent history of film festivals, demonstratingthat as such festivals have proliferated, their have also begun todifferentiate and to address either niche markets, genres, orconstituencies. However, other venues areproving to be equally attractive to filmmakers. The Montreal Film Festival outdoes Cannesin scope with over 2 official films from some 6 countries (The Economist1 1). Sundance and afilm festival in Telluride (now 28 years old) offer alternative showcasesas does a festival in Rotterdam. An Overview of the History of Film Festivals In the film industry, festivals at which films are screened, judged,and evaluated and their producers, directors, and casts acknowledged withprestigious awards, have become increasingly commonplace in recent decades. Debate as to its location - both Cannesand Biarritz were proposed - was resolved when the Cannes city fathersagreed to construct a Palais to house the gathering (McCarthy S3). In 1968, Cannes was forced to close halfway through because ofpolitical upheavals occurring in France that led to a nationwide generalstrike (McCarthy S4). Florence alsoholds a film festival as does Tel Aviv, which annually produces the AnnualFestival of Student Cinema (Dayan 41). The best-known film festival in the world is the Cannes FilmFestival, first held in 1936. There is debate as to whetherCannes, Venice, or Toronto attracts the most attention. What this suggests is that in the age of globalization,niche film festivals are becoming more inherently internationalized (VideoAge International 6). Toronto, as well as Montreal, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco,and a number of European and Asian cities also hold annual film festivals(Roman 9). The Berlin Film Festival, "the other biggestcompetitive event in Europe, also experienced some bumpy times, leavingCannes indisputably alone at the top of the heap" (McCarthy S5). At the same time, the Venice, Berlin,and to a lesser degree, Locarno, Italy film festivals were rivals for theattention given to the Cannes festival by filmmakers and members of thepress. "Modern Art-Mart Era Dawns in 197 s." Variety, 24 Mar 1997, 366: S14-S15.Roman, Monica. When one thinks of film festival, primacy is typically given tofestivals held in Europe and North America. The question of whether or not film festivals shape or reflectconsumer opinion has yet to be answered. 1998, 347: 1 1. According to Dayan(47), the Sundance is a festival that was designed to highlight the worksof independent filmmakers and younger directors and producers who do notwork within the mainstream studio tradition. Others fare poorly. Cowie (S13) claims that Cannes, among these early festivals, seemedthroughout the 194 s and 195 s to focus its awards on films made in Franceor by French directors. 2. In2 , for instance, the Cairo jury was headed by French director RolandJoffe and the Golden Pyramid prize was awarded to the Chinese film TheSigh, by Feng Laogang, which also won the best actor, best actress andscript awards. "Cold War Color." Variety, 2 Dec. There are film festivals in China, Indonesia, and in LatinAmerica. They often screen films that havealready debuted in Cannes and Venice, providing a prestigious opening forfilms from around the world (The Economist 1 1). Roman (9) asserts that it is often extremelydifficult to obtain the coveted tickets to the New York Film Festivalevents whereas anyone with the price of a bus ride and a theater ticket canattend screenings at Sundance and Telluride. They areopportunities for filmmakers from studios and national cinematicorganizations as well as independent producers to exhibit their wares andto acquire new opportunities for distribution. India is home to a number of film festivals, most of which continueto focus on the Indian film industry, which is the largest film industry inthe world. Regardless of the outcome for a particular film, participation inthese film festivals is seen by many in the industry as necessary (CowieS13). There are few countries with a thriving film industry that do not sponsorone or more such festivals and many major cities or other locales have cometo the realization that festivals of this type attract tourists,journalists, and filmgoers willing to spend at times substantial sums ofmoney in pursuit of their interests (Cowie S13). However, as Hawkins (S13) points out, Cannes quickly assumedprimacy among the film festivals, eclipsing many smaller festivals. McCarthy (S4) contends that Cannesresponded by extending its festival events and transforming itself into "ateeming cinematic bazaar for buyers and sellers, as well as a place forbuffs to search for diamonds in the rough." Cannes became much larger andstronger at a time in the early 197 s when Venice, its chief competitor forthe title of most prestigious film festival, experienced political andorganizational chaos. The end result was that Cannes organizers wereforced to rethink their strategies. Only The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughtonwas shown and the rest of the festival was cancelled because of the war. Nevertheless, certain film festivals continue to dominate theconsciousness of film buffs and analysts. Though many American and European celebrities setout to attend the festival and the Hollywood studios sent 1 films forscreening, on the day the festival was to begin (September 1, 1939) Hitlerinvaded Poland. The Cairo InternationalFilm Festival was established in 1976 as a major showcase and film marketfor products originating in the Middle East (Video Age International 6).However, though the Cairo festival attempts to emphasize Middle Easternproductions, it also permits made in other locales to be screened. "Cairo Film Fest: 25 Years." Video Age International, Feb. 1997, 368: 9-1 . The first Cannes festival was scheduled to take place in the firstweeks of September 1939. Among the festivals that are still most important are theBerlinae, a film festival held in Berlin that had a cache as a bufferbetween East and West during the Cold War (Cowie 2 43). It was in the 197 s that the proliferation of film festivals brieflyreferenced above began to occur. Pratley (S14) maintains that the 197 s also saw renewed politicaltensions that disrupted the Cannes festival and led some cities, includingNew York, to create their own competitive film festivals. "Famous Fest Casts a Golden Show Biz Glow." Variety, 24 Mar 1997, 366: S3-S6.Pratley, Gerald. The proliferation of film festivals also suggests that they are apoplar entertainment vehicle for the hundreds of thousands of individualswho are simply fans of the cinema and who enjoy hobnobbing with filmmakersand actors and actresses. 1999, 377: 43+.Dayan, Daniel. "Cache's Cachet Key to Gotham Fest 'Success.'" Variety, 29 Sept. Othercountries, including Mexico, Greece, Sweden, Japan, Hungary, and Austriaalso participated in the early years of the Cannes, Venice, and otherfestivals. The film festivals held in Londonand New York fall into this category. "Swinging '6 s Meant Changing Time for Still- Young Event." Variety, 24 Mar 1997, 366: S13-14.Cowie, Peter. Hawkins (S12) has stated that the early film festivals, includingthat held at Cannes, were relatively calm events at which one or two filmswere shown each day and interaction between the filmmakers, stars,journalists, and fans was commonplace. The French, partly from aesthetic and partly frompolitical motives, decided to counter Venice with their own eventcelebrating international cinema. Some festivals are noncompetitive. "Cannes' Early Days: Fest Was Sheer Buff Heaven." Variety, 24 Mar 1997, 366: S12-S13.McCarthy, Todd. Throughout the 194 s and 195 s,these festivals drew submissions from such diverse countries as the UnitedStates, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, and Belgium. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.