The first annual Cannes Film Festival opens at the resort city of Cannes on the French Riviera. The festival had intended to make its debut in September 1939, but the outbreak of World War II forced the cancellation of the inaugural Cannes.
In June 1939, the establishment of a film festival at Cannes, to be held from September 1 to 20, was announced in Paris. Films were selected and the filmmakers and stars began arriving in mid-August. Among the American selections was The Wizard of Oz. On the morning of September 1, the day the festival was to begin, Hitler invaded Poland. In Paris, the French government ordered a general mobilization, and the Cannes festival was called off after the screening of just one film: The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
In 1946, France’s provincial government approved a revival of the Festival de Cannes as a means of luring tourists back to the French Riviera. The festival began on September 20, 1946, and 18 nations were represented. At the first Cannes, nine films were honored with the top award: Grand Prix du Festival.
In the 1950s, the Festival International du Film de Cannes came to be regarded as the most prestigious film festival in the world. It still holds that allure today, though many have criticized it as overly commercial. More than 30,000 people go to Cannes each May to attend the festival.
Source: History
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