In Cannes, it’s cinema as usual

After the cancellation in 2020 and a bump to the month of July in 2021 — with smaller attendance as international travel was still interrupted — the Cannes Film Festival returns to its usual mid-May slot, keyed up and fully prepped to show the world that it’s cinema, and the cinema business, as usual.

With the pandemic receding, with streaming services gaining strength and then wavering (see Netflix share prices), and with Marvel having colonised the global box office, storied, proud Cannes knows it’s carrying the banner of tradition, of film as experience. The full comeback this week will offer a counterargument against those who deem a physical film event an…