Guide to Cannes for Cinephiles

Cannes is the world’s top film festival (and the oldest one not founded by fascists). But unusually, it’s not open to the public. Cannes is for insiders: filmmakers, film buyers, and press. However, there is an exception: the Cinephile accreditation. It’s granted in limited numbers to people outside the industry, and it could be your ticket in.

So if you dream of going to Cannes but have no legitimate business there – this guide is for you.

What is a Cannes Cinephile?

To get into events you need a badge, which comes in many varieties based on your reason for being at Cannes. Higher-level badges allow you to book tickets earlier and grant access to more exclusive events. The badge types, in order of hierarchy, are:

• VIPs – presumably they have people shepherding them around to anywhere they want to go. So they don’t have to worry about any of this stuff (but hey, they need to deal with the paparazzi!)

• Press – separate press screenings of all the big movies; early access to the booking system for all other screenings.

• Industry (i.e. film makers) – early access to the booking system.

• Market (i.e. film buyers) – slightly less early access to the booking system.

• Cinephiles (this is you!) – no tickets to gala events (the big premieres); latest access to the booking system.

• 3 Days in Cannes – the lowest tier of badges, this program allows film fans aged 18 to 28 a peek at the festival.

The Cinephile accreditation is granted in limited numbers to “film enthusiasts and educational groups”. (More below on how to qualify.)

So what do you get to do as a Cannes Cinephile?

• See an unlimited number of movies from the festival, though not necessarily your first picks.

• Stand in line for hours to hopefully get a last-minute entry into the glitzy gala premieres with the celebs.

• Explore the enormous film market and chat with film buyers, film sellers and national organizations for promoting the film industry.

• Immerse yourself in the world of film in its most exciting week of the year.

• …all for a one-time payment of about 30 euros for the badge.

Should you be a Cannes Cinephile

Cannes isn’t for everyone, especially with the Cinephile badge. Here are some things to consider before deciding to go.

Cinephiles are close to the bottom of the totem pole at Cannes. It will be hard to get tickets to the most-in-demand events. You will need to do some running around and/or wheeling and dealing to get the tickets you want. And since it will be easiest to get into events that start early in the morning or end late at night, you may find yourself with a serious sleep deficit.

Consider also the movie selection. A film by Wes Anderson or Ari Aster would be considered a crowd pleaser at Cannes, while figures like Julia Ducournau or Joachim Trier rate as stars. Most of the prize categories (see below) will be filled with unknowns or first-time directors. And as a Cinephile, you will see fewer of the stuff you’ve heard of before, and more of the wild cards.

The experience is guaranteed to be interesting to a true lover of films, but plenty of patience (and an adventurous spirit) are a must to get the most out of it.

Getting the accreditation

There are two ways to get a Cinephile badge: be a film student, or belong to a movie club. If you’re already one of those things, great! You’re probably all set. If not – don’t give up. You’re about to create your own movie club.

Cannes has the following requirements for something to be considered a movie club:

1. Members have membership cards with a limited time frame (e.g. a year).

2. The club organizes screenings in cinemas.

3. That’s it!

The first requirement is easy – you can design and print your own membership cards at home or at a print shop.

The second is a bit tougher. Here are some suggestions:

• Rent a small meeting room and screen out-of-copyright films using an office projector. Here’s a list of films in the public domain – there are plenty of fascinating silent films here, but also plenty of later films whose copyright has expired for various reasons. A good way to discover some surprising gems! Calling your small meeting room a “cinema” may be a bit of a stretch, but I have faith in you to make it work.

• Talk to your local sci-fi convention about hosting a screening as part of their event. You may need to talk to the distributors about rights, which will be a bit more complicated. But a convention will have a built-in audience for your event.

• If you want to get truly serious – talk to a movie theater or cinematheque about hosting some real honest-to-god screenings, and try to fill the theater using marketing on social media and word-of-mouth. It won’t be easy, but it will be a fun challenge! And then you’ll really earn your badge.

I would also recommend setting up a website (or a nicely polished social media presence) for your club. This will help sell it as a real thing worthy of consideration.

It is important, of course, to not try and game the system- the festival organizers will check and confirm your club exists and hosted legitimate film screenings over the past year. Be prepared for questions on the how, what and where of the events.

Once you’ve set up your highly cool new movie club, it’s time to prepare your application to Cannes. You will need a motivation letter explaining why you want to come, along with names, photos, and roles in the club.

The dress code

Cannes is a famously snooty place, and many screenings are black-tie affairs. But what does that mean specifically?

First of all, the strict dress code applies only to gala events. Gala events are specifically the premieres of films in the main competition, which happen in the evenings at the Grand Theatre Lumière. All other screenings have no special dress code, including other screenings of the films in competition and other screenings in the Lumière, as well as premieres at the Lumière as part of the “Midnight Movies” category (though many people still show up to those in black-tie dress).

In other words, if you can’t or don’t want to bring fancy clothes, you don’t have to. You’ll be locked out of some screenings, and may feel underdressed in others, but you’ll still have plenty to do.

On the other hand, dressing up is fun!

The actual dress code, as enforced by the ushers, is something like this:

• Men: black or dark blue suit. Bowtie (not long tie). Dark leather shoes. White shirt. No bag of any kind.

• Women: any kind of formal dress (doesn’t have to be particularly fancy). High heels or extra-nice flat shoes. A small handbag is allowed, but no other kind of bag.

We did see the ushers turning people away from gala events for failing to match the dress code, so don’t try to push your luck. And if you do come to Cannes with the black-tie stuff, try to wear it as often as you can… when will you get another chance?

How to get into screenings

Gala events - the last minute queue

Cinephile badge holders cannot reserve places in gala events, but they can still get in via the last-minute queue. The queue is located on the eastern side of the Palais. The amount of people let in from the queue varies, but is typically around 30-50 people. You should be there 3-5 hours early in order to get a good enough place in the queue. 

People in the queue are friendly, and will let you take turns holding a place so that you can go get food or change clothes. You should make sure to have a nice conversation with the people ahead of you in line so they will be on your side if there’s any confusion.

Overall it’s not a bad experience, as long as the weather is nice.

The last minute line for Julia Ducournau's Alpha (2025), captured by us!

Other movies - the reservation system

For all other screenings (plus non-movie events like Q&As), you can reserve tickets ahead of time. Tickets can be ordered 3 days in advance.

Cinephile badge holders get locked out of the reservation system between 4AM and 8AM, which means many screenings will be full by the time you get access. You should make sure to get into the system at 8AM on the dot and make decisions quickly. Don’t be too picky or think for too long or you may end up empty handed.

Reservations can be cancelled up to an hour before the screening starts. After that, you must scan your ticket or else you will be considered a no-show. After three no-shows you will get locked out of the reservation system, so be careful.

Normal movies also have a last-minute queue, which can be a reasonable option for popular movies. Usually these are shorter queues with less risk of finding yourself left out.

Note that about half of all screenings are in the Cineum, which is a half-hour bus ride from the Palais du Festival. Buses are free with a festival badge. Catch the A bus from the SNCF station. Don’t try to get on at a later station if you can avoid it as the bus gets quite full.

Trades

It’s highly recommended to join a group of festival goers on WhatsApp or other social media. Other than general good vibes, a group like this can be extremely helpful in getting tinto the screenings you want, via trades.

It’s considered acceptable to trade reservations with other badge holders, so if you end up with a sought-after ticket that you can’t or don’t want to use, consider offering it for trade before cancelling. This is even more useful if you are within the one-hour window and need someone to scan your ticket to avoid a no-show.

The Marche

Other than screenings, there’s also a large film market at Cannes, where business deals happen. Cinephiles have free access to this area, and it can be pretty interesting to walk around and check out the booths belonging to film studios or national film organizations.

Planning your trip

Cannes runs for about ten days. Some hotels and AirBnbs will not agree to rent you a room for less time than that. I do recommend staying for the entire festival in any case, as each movie only screens for about three days, and if you leave too early you are likely to suffer a terminal case of FOMO.

If you decide you want a shorter stay, I recommend arriving for the end of the festival rather than the start. The last three days include repeat screenings of all the films of the Official Selection, which makes it the best opportunity for Cinephiles to catch the major movies of the festival.

Final thoughts

Visiting Cannes as a Cinephile is an adventure. You may not get to see your top picks; you may find yourself in an hours-long queue; you may be blown away by an obscure movie that everyone else will think you hallucinated. If you come in with an open mind, and remember that at a bare minimum you are in a beautiful beach town surrounded by happy people, it can be the experience of a lifetime.