CANNES - A FESTIVAL VIRGIN'S GUIDE
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do I get tickets to festival screenings?
To attend screenings at the Cannes Film Festival, you must either be an accredited attendee or hold an official invitation. Aside from screenings at the Cinéma de la Plage (beach cinema) which are open on a first come, first served basis, and a limited number of tickets for the Director's Fortnight, there is no access to festival screenings for members of the general public.
If you are an accredited attendee, tickets are only required for films showing "In" or "Out" of Competition. In the last few years, ticketing has moved from the "get there early and wait" model to an online and telephone service. To obtain tickets you now require your unique ticketing code (supplied when you collect your accreditation pack) and your badge. With these, you need to either log on to the festival's ticketing web site or call the ticket hotline. Sadly, the system has extremely poor usability design and feels a lot like "my first web site" so you need to have quite a bit of patience.
Tickets are released for films screening in approximately the next 24 hours and if you are successful in your reservation, tickets can be collected from the "Billetterie Centrale", located in the Hall Mediteranee in the Palais des Festivals.
Tickets are not required for films screening in the various sidebars of the festival: Un Certain Regard, The Directors' Fortnight, or International Critics' Week. To attend screenings in these sidebars, you simply line up outside the venue at least one hour before the scheduled start time. An appropriate accreditation badge or invite is required to gain entry.
Films showing in the Marché du Film (Market) are generally only open to holders of Market or Press accreditation.
For the full run-down on attending the Cannes Film Festival, make sure you pick up a copy of Cannes - A Festival Virgin's Guide.