On 20 September 1946 Cannes opened the first fully held edition of its international film festival. An edition had been prepared in 1939 as an alternative to Venice, whose judging had been shaped by fascist and Nazi regimes. The invasion of Poland stopped it.

After the war the project restarted with thin money and logistics. The 1946 edition brought films from many countries and was also presented as a sign of returning cultural cooperation.

The structure was not today’s. Several films took the Grand Prix in 1946. The Palme d’Or name appeared only in 1955. Applying today’s prize backwards is an anniversary error.

Cancellations, calendar shifts and institutional moves followed. Gradually Cannes became a platform for premieres, for recognising filmmakers and for the market.

Eighty years link the political origin — refusal of an aligned festival — to present prestige. They do not turn 1946 into today’s Palais des Festivals.

The festival archive keeps that year’s selection and prizes. This article reads them with the rules of the time, not today’s regulations.

Image: Cannes Film Festival / Wikimedia Commons. A later edition, not the opening of 20 September 1946. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: History of the Festival | Festival de Cannes; 1946 official selection and awards | Festival de Cannes.