Film Festivals: From European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia

The film festival has come a long way from its relatively humble origins in Venice in 1932when nine nations presented twenty-five feature films screened in an open-air cinema where men had to adhere to standards of formal evening attire. Hugely popular events that attract diverse lovers of cinema worldwide, today's most famous film festivalsCannes, Berlin, Venice, and Rotterdamcontinue the story of a phenomenon that began in the midst of geopolitical disputes in war-torn Europe. Film Festivalsshows how these festivals turned impediments into advantages and developed a successful global network that addresses issues as diverse as programming and prizes, national legitimation, city marketing, cinephilia, glamour, and audience. Discussing the festival as a media event and looking closer at various festival visitors, this volume also questions whether "successful" is in fact the appropriate term for understanding developments that could be considered dogmatic in their insistence on framing filmmakers as auteurs and films as belonging to "new waves." An essential title for everyone interested in the culture, politics, and history that surround the celebration of cinema, Film Festivalsproves that the movies are still our greatestand most fetedescapeValck, Marijke de is the author of 'Film Festivals: From European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia', published 2008 under ISBN 9789053561928 and ISBN 9053561927.