When Thierry Frémaux recently spoke to HFPA journalists, he touched on a wide range of subjects, from cinema to his twin lifelong passion for Judo and cycling.  Especially close to his heart are the two festivals he directs: the Lumière Film Festival, devoted to classic and restored films, which is held in Lyon each October, and of course the Cannes Film festival. This is what he had to say about being forced to skip the 2020 edition and the significance of returning to the Croisette.

“Going to film festivals for you critics, for us, professionals, for filmmakers, and especially for audiences is something so important. I hate the idea for us of (a) virtual, digital film festival.  I think there is a contradiction, a film festival is being together, is fighting each other about the film, is being in the same room and in 2 hours you critics you make the destiny, you make the destiny of a film (…) And to have you back, to have the filmmakers back, to have the audience back, to have the professionals back…we are going to make, I hope, the first film festival, which will be possible to have dinners together”.                                 

“This Cannes is very important, it will be the big comeback of culture, of cinema, of Cannes, but also of the way we used to live….the future of cinema depends on us and depends on good films.  I used to say to young students when they asked me that they wanted to do cinema, and I said please do love cinema, and cinema will love you.  And it’s exactly what I think for the future if we fight for cinema, cinema will fight for us.”