Thierry Frémaux

As the director of the Cannes Film Festival, Thierry Frémaux can be rightly credited for having championed many emerging international talents over the years, while nurturing veteran filmmakers and, more recently, taking risks by saying no to streamers if they refuse to have theatrical distribution.   A week prior to the opening of the festival, he spoke via Zoom to the Hollywood Foreign Press to explain how this 76th edition will be different.

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.

For Thierry, Frémaux cinema is the most important thing in the world.   The director of the Cannes Film Festival, the Lumière Film Festival, and the Institut Lumière recently joined HFPA Film Restoration Summit in Los Angeles and gave a special presentation on the Lumière brothers restoration project.