2021 Cannes Film Festival
The 74th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 6 to 17 July 2021, after having been originally scheduled from 11 to 22 May 2021. American director Spike Lee was invited to be the head of the jury for the festival for a second time, after the COVID-19 pandemic in France scuttled plans to have him head the jury of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.
Official poster of the 74th Cannes Film Festival featuring Jury President Spike Lee. | |
| Opening film | Annette |
|---|---|
| Closing film | OSS 117: From Africa with Love |
| Location | Cannes, France |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Awards | Palme d'Or: Titane |
| No. of films | 24 (In Competition) 18 (Un Certain Regard) |
| Festival date | 6–17 July 2021 |
| Website | festival-cannes |
The Official Selection was announced on 3 June 2021. French film director Leos Carax's musical film Annette was the opening film of the festival. Arthur Harrari's Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle opened the Un Certain Regard section. The Honorary Palme d'Or was awarded to American actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster, and Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio.
The Palme d'Or went to Titane, directed by Julia Ducournau, who became the second female director to win the award and the first to win not jointly with another director (in 1993 Jane Campion had won jointly with Chen Kaige). At the awards ceremony on 17 July 2021, jury head Spike Lee made a gaffe by accidentally announcing the festival's top prize winner at the start of the night instead of the end.
Mistress of ceremonies was the actress Doria Tillier.