Cannes Marché du Film executive director Guillaume Esmiol tells Screen about positioning the market at the junction of film and innovation.
“We are already the biggest film market in the world. I want us to be not only the most powerful, but also the most innovative,” says Cannes Marché du Film executive director Guillaume Esmiol of the annual industry gathering (May 13-21).
After working alongside former market chief Jérome Paillard as co-executive director on the 2022 post-Covid recovery event, Esmiol took the reins in 2023, and his facelift for the world’s largest film market has been to position it not only as the leading place to buy and sell films, but also as a multifaceted mecca for all sides of the industry.
From film financing to fusing film and other industries such as tech, publishing and IP, “our ambition is for the Marché du Film to stand at the intersection of the technology and film industries, innovation and talent”, he says.
What to expect
Despite the uncertain state of the global economy, Esmiol says he expects it to be business as usual at this year’s Marché, with industry attendance on par with last year’s record figure of around 15,000 participants. This year Brazil will be the Marché’s country of honour, and the country will co-host the official opening night party at the Plage des Palmes.
To accommodate so many international delegates, the Marché du Film encompasses stands in both the Palais des Festivals and throughout town, with many companies opting for its ‘Croisette Package’, which enables attendees to set up their office outside the Palais des Festivals while still having full Marché access. Market badges are mandatory, and the Marché du Film even sent a reminder letter earlier this year that access to The Members Club — as all official festival and market venues — does require a market badge.
Reinforcing its human dimension also entails listening to marketgoers and reacting to their issues. In addition to online surveys, organisers host an annual debrief with top buyers and sellers to hear what did and did not work. “When distributors and sales agents aren’t happy, they let you know,” says Esmiol. “We listen to them to make sure things run as smoothly as possible.”
For example, last year the Marché responded quickly to reports of long queues to access the Palais, adding an extra fast-track line at the Jetée Albert-Edouard and doubling the existing entrance routes at the main doors and Mediterranean Access. “Buyers and sellers appreciated the quick turnaround,” he says. “Instead of saying, ‘Sorry, there is nothing we can do,’ we corrected the situation the next day on site.
“[This year] there will be more access lines from the beginning to avoid a similar situation and the fast-track lines will continue.”
Esmiol says the Marché also continues to listen to widespread industry concerns over the cost of travel and accommodation. The team is in constant dialogue with hotels to keep down costs for industry professionals and, while the price of market badges went up last year with global inflation, it remains the same for 2025 — as are prices for Palais stands.
“We’re not seeing any negative impact as of now,” says Esmiol of the current uncertainty around inflation. “Last year the market was dynamic and we expect that to continue this year. Of course, some countries haven’t hit pre-Covid box-office levels, so the price distributors in those territories are willing to pay for films is lower.”
While the past few years have brought new initiatives and expanded venues, Esmiol says the focus this market will be on consolidating “the programmes we’ve been building already”. These include the diversity and sustainability focused impACT, the Producers Network and the Investors Circle, which will hold its third edition and see 10 filmmakers including Belgium’s Lukas Dhont and Austria’s Marie Kreutzer pitch their latest feature projects to VIP private investors. The fact Competition title Renoir, by Chie Hayakawa, was pitched at last year’s Investors Circle “is proof this global accelerator for finding innovative ways to finance auteur cinema is already a success and one of our strongest market pillars”, asserts Esmiol.
This year will see the introduction of Village Innovation, a new space in the Pantiero dedicated to technology in the film industry that will host panels and demonstrations around generative AI, virtual production and immersive content. Companies planning to participate include Disney, Amazon, Largo AI and Sony.
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