Today's Date:

Every year, in May, during two weeks, the International Film Festival takes place in Cannes, a city in the south of France, chosen for its sunshine and enchanting scenery.

This event which was conceived as a rivalry to the Venice Film Festival, started on 1st September 1939 Films from all over the world are presented and the juries give awards to actors and directors… the most coveted of the awards is the Golden Palm Award (Palm d'or) which is given to the best film of the festival. This event, considered the most prestigious in the world, not only proposes film screenings, but also numerous cultural and artistic activities (round-tables, seminars, retrospectives…).
It is also an occasion, dreamt of, for the fans to see their favorite stars and many other affluent personalities during this event.

For the first time there will be a pavilion set side for filmmakers from the southern hemisphere. The Cinemas du Sud pavilion will be set up at the international village for the full duration of the Cannes Festival (May 14-25, 2003). The idea came from the main institutions supporting films from the south - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Center for Cinematography (CNC, Ministry of Culture),the Intergovernmental Agency for Francophony (AIF), TV5 and Canal France International(CFI). The allocated space, 400 square meters, will give professionals facilities to receive guests and a place for working, meetings and discussions.

The Cinémas du Sud pavilion is equipped with Internet and individual viewing stations, a screening room, an interview room and area for entertaining. It will allow professionals from the south take part in professional meetings, press conferences and host events in a single space.

During the festival, the Cinemas du Sud pavilion will also be presenting a program of movies from the south, as a supplement to the Festival program, in partnership with the European Commission.

Jean-Jacques Aillagon, Minister of Culture and Communication, Pierre-Andre Wiltzer, Minister Delegate for Cooperation and Francophony, and Roger Dehaybe ,general administrator for the Francophony Intergovernmental Agency, will inaugurate the pavilion on Saturday, May 17 at 10:00 am. The Foreign Ministry has entirely redone the pages on "cinema" on its web-site (www.diplomatie. fr) in order to give greater prominence to moviemakers from the south and to highlight the fill range of its support for southern hemisphere professionals.