The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmaker Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the comedy-drama film Anora.
The official poster for the festival featuring a still image from the movie Rhapsody in August (1991) by Akira Kurosawa, selected for the 44th edition, was designed by Hartland Villa. French actress Camille Cottin hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.
During the festival, three Honorary Palme d'Or were awarded: the first was awarded to Meryl Streep during the festival's opening ceremony; the second was awarded to Studio Ghibli; and the third was awarded to George Lucas during the festival's closing ceremony.
Few days before the opening ceremony, festival workers called for a general strike. The Broke Behind the Screens (Sous les écrans la dèche) collective made public a complaint about the precarious nature of film festival work.
Following the official announcement of The Seed of the Sacred Fig's selection for the main competition, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to eight years in prison as well as flogging, a fine, and confiscation of his property, on the charge of "propaganda against the regime." Cast and crew were interrogated and pressured to convince Rasoulof to withdraw the film from the festival.
Shortly after, Rasoulof and some crew members managed to flee from Iran to Europe, and attended the film's world premiere on 24 May 2024. On the red carpet, Rasoulof held up images of stars Soheila Golestani and Missagh Zareh, who were unable to leave Iran for the premiere, and had their passport confiscated. The film received a 12-minute standing ovation, while cast and crew protested in solidarity with Iranian women fight for rights.
The festival opened with French comedy-film The Second Act by Quentin Dupieux.
Juries
Main Competition
Greta Gerwig, American actress and filmmaker – Jury President
J. A. Bayona, Spanish filmmaker
Ebru Ceylan, Turkish actress and screenwriter
Pierfrancesco Favino, Italian actor and producer
Lily Gladstone, American actress
Eva Green, French actress
Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japanese filmmaker and producer
Nadine Labaki, Lebanese actress and filmmaker
Omar Sy, French actor
Un Certain Regard
Xavier Dolan, Canadian filmmaker and actor – Jury President
Maïmouna Doucouré, French-Senegalese filmmaker
Asmae El Moudir, Moroccan filmmaker and producer
Vicky Krieps, Luxembourgish-German actress
Todd McCarthy, American filmmaker, writer and film critic
Cinéfondation and Short Films Competition
Lubna Azabal, Belgian actress – Jury President
Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, French filmmaker and producer
Paolo Moretti, Italian programmer
Claudine Nougaret, French producer
Vladimir Perišić, Serbian filmmaker
Caméra d'Or
Baloji, Belgian-Congolese singer and filmmaker – Jury Co-president
Emmanuelle Béart, French actress – Jury Co-president
Pascal Buron, French TSF board member
Nathalie Chifflet, French journalist
Gilles Porte, French cinematographer and filmmaker
Zoé Wittock, Belgian filmmaker
L'Œil d'Or
Nicolas Philibert, French filmmaker and actor – Jury President
Dyana Gaye, French-Senegalese filmmaker
Elise Jalladeau, French producer and executive director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Mina Kavani, Iranian-French actress
Francis Legault, Canadian filmmaker and director at Ici Radio-Canada Première
Critics' Week
Sylvie Pialat, French producer – Jury President
Ben Croll, Canadian film critic and journalist
Iris Kaltenbäck, French filmmaker
Virginie Surdej, Belgian cinematographer
Eliane Umuhire, Rwandan actress
Queer Palm
Lukas Dhont, Belgian filmmaker – Jury President
Hugo Bardin, French singer and director
Sophie Letourneur, French filmmaker
Juliana Rojas, Brazilian filmmaker
Jad Salfiti, British-Palestinian journalist
