The Cannes Film Festival and Global Perspectives

At our July event we will screen The White Balloon following a discussion on the Cannes Film Festival and its implications for international relations.

Tom Vincent, Film Program Manager for the Perth International Arts Festival, will describe how the Cannes film festival has grown from its origins in 1939 as the “festival of the free world” to its present status as a significant global player at the intersection of art, commerce and geopolitics. Tom’s talk will highlight examples of national cinemas that have been elevated by selection at Cannes, and he will describe the festival’s ongoing role in mediating cultural ‘otherness’.

The White Balloon, directed by  Jafar Panahi, won the Cannes festival’s Camera d’Or for best first feature in 1995.  It was Iran's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Academy Awards, but became the subject of international controversy.

About the Speaker

Before joining Perth International Arts Festival in 2014, Tom worked as a curator of cultural cinema and teacher in England, and a teacher of English in Japan. He has worked for the UK’s National Media Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Leeds College of Art, The University of Bradford, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Screenwest and the University of Western Australia. Tom currently programs PIAF’s UWA Somerville and ECU Joondalup Pines screens, and curates several other screen-based programs within the festival.