Not many regular cinema-goers seek out Cannes Film Festival accreditation. For starters, I don’t think it’s common knowledge that regular folk like you and I can actually attend this Hollywood-elite film festival.
Let me say this loud and clear for the cheap seats in the back: YOU CAN!!! Regular, Average Joe film fans CAN watch films at the Cannes Film Festival.
And if I can attend the Cannes Film Festival, you probably can too.
In this post, I’m giving you the low down on a few key pieces of information you need to know in order to successfully apply and receive Cannes Film Festival Accreditation. This will cover:
- What kind of accreditation badges are available to people who want to attend the Film Festival
- What the Cinephile accreditation is (I’m going to talk in detail about this kind of accreditation in this post)
- A Step-by-Step Guide through the Cinephile accreditation application
- A Step-by-Step Guide through Three Days in Cannes accreditation application
How to Apply for Cannes Film Festival Accreditation
The types of Cannes Film Festival Accreditation
- Festival Accreditation – for French and Foreign Film Professionals (filmmakers, designers, actors, etc.)
- Press Accreditation – for Journalists, Photographers and Media Technicians
- Film Market Accreditation – for Producers, Distributors, Studio Professionals, Film hotshots and Bigwigs
- Cinephile Accreditation – for Film Students, Film Buff Associations and Educational Groups
- Three Days in Cannes Accreditation – for 18-28-year-olds passionate about cinema
There are also some other types of accreditation that you don’t necessarily have to apply for. For example, if you have a short film nominated for a prize, you’ll be given Short Film Corner Accreditation. There is also a Buyer and Producer’s Network badge but you need to prove you’ve recently bought a film for distribution or prove your company has had a film recently picked up for distribution.
So there are types of accreditation you can’t even apply for. In the words of the great poet, Avril Lavinge, Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?
But actually, it’s not that complicated if you know what you’re doing. And you will!
Three Days in Cannes or Cinephile Accreditation?
If you can’t recall the last time you distributed a film or contributed to a big National publication… You’re probably looking at either the Cinephile accreditation or Three Days in Cannes accreditation. If you’re not sure which one to choose, I’ve written a whole post explaining the differences which you can read here.
The rest of this post will explain how to apply for either accreditation. But that post will help you figure out which accreditation you want to apply/are eligible for.
Read next:
Cinephile vs Three Days in Cannes Accreditation: Which Cannes Film Festival Pass is for you?
Cinephile Accreditation
I applied and received Cinephile accreditation in 2017 as the Three Days in Cannes pass only came out in 2018. And unless you happen to be Cate Blanchett or head up a Studio (and if you are, hey Cate! Big fan) it’s the one most people will apply for.
I did think about applying for Press Accreditation for about 2 seconds. Yes, it would be lovely to have more access, but I don’t have any Journalist credentials. And let’s face it, this blog is hardly Total Film Magazine, is it?
Read next:
Attending Cannes Film Festival 2017: Invitations, Sunburn, Pedro, oh my!
4,000 cinephile passes are issued every festival, but 3,000 of these go to students and film fans living in the local area. So, for the rest of France and the rest of the world, only 1,000 passes are available.
Applications for Cannes Film Festival Accreditation open on February 3rd for the 2020 festival. In 2017, they opened late on February 13th and stayed open for a month. I was granted accreditation about two weeks after I applied when applications were still open, so it’s worth applying ASAP. They seem to award accreditation on a rolling basis, and stop giving them out when there are no more left to give.
Cinephile Accreditation Application
Before you apply for Cinephile Accreditation, read the official requirements and then open an account and start your application!
The documentation to prepare:
- A scanned copy of your passport
- A clear picture of your beautiful face to upload for the badge
- A motivational letter
- A photocopy of your film club/association’s membership card
- If you are a student – An official document from your university confirming that you are studying Film
Motivational Letter
The Cannes Film Festival requires a motivational letter from everyone who wants to apply for Cinephile accreditation. They just want you to make the extra effort to prove that you really want to attend and why they should let you. It’s a faff, yes, but they are just weeding out the people who couldn’t care less about films and just want to celeb spot.
My motivational letter covered one sheet of paper and was pretty informal. I detailed that I had received a BA (Hons) degree in Drama and Screen Studies. Then, I put a link through to my blog to provide evidence that I love film festivals. Every film festival I’ve ever been to was listed and I wrote that I was a member of the Large Association of Movie Blogs.
I went on to describe why I wanted to attend the 2017 Cannes Film Festival specifically. I noted a couple of films I was excited to see and that Pedro Almodóvar is king.
Film Club/Association Membership Card
This is where most film fans applying for Cinephile Accreditation might give up. A film club?! Urgh! And you’ve got to have a freakin’ membership card? C’mon now.
But there are ways to get around it. As soon as I saw the word ‘association’ I thought, “I’m a part of a film association! The Large Association of Movie Blogs! Perfect.” But not only did I have to photocopy a non-existent membership card, but I also had to provide details of that association. Where was I going to get a membership card? Would I just have to make one myself and pretend?!
Luckily, the LAMB dedicates one blog post to every new member. So, I took a screenshot of my introductory blog post and uploaded it as a jpg to my application. Clearly, they were relaxed on what constitutes a ‘membership card.’
Other ideas: If you’re not part of a cinema club, I’ve thought of a good alternative that might work. Do you know Cinema chains like Odeon and Cineworld have limitless passes where you can pay a set fee every month and receive unlimited cinema passes? Well, if they give you a card and it has your name on it, that might be a good way to get around the system. I’m not saying this will definitely work because I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why not.
Three Days in Cannes Accreditation Application
Like the Cinephile Accreditation, read the official requirements and make sure you meet them. Then, open an account (click ‘my account’ in the right corner of the website) and start an application for the correct accreditation.
Keep in mind that the Three Days in Cannes accreditation usually opens later than the other accreditations, around two weeks.
The documentation to prepare:
- A scanned copy of your passport
- A clear picture of your beautiful face to upload for the badge
- A motivational letter
Motivational Letter
I’m applying for the Three Days in Cannes accreditation for 2020, but I actually applied last year and was accepted. I didn’t end up going in 2019 but I was able to cancel my application and they said they would be happy to receive my application for this year. So no penalisation, woohoo!
My motivation letter looked pretty similar to the Cinephile Accreditation letter. I stated that I have a film blog, a Drama and Screen Studies degree and that I am a part of the LAMB and regularly appear on their podcast. I also mentioned that I like attending film festivals and my thoughts towards the current film climate. That I think diversity and representation are important in cinema, etc. etc.
Other ideas: Do you have a nice story about how you got into film? Is there an obscure filmmaker you like or a nice story? Do you seek out movie marathons at your local cinema, etc.? Are you a fan of this year’s Cannes Film Festival Jury President? Just think of anything that proves you love movies!
And that’s it! You’ve successfully applied for Cannes Film Festival Accreditation!
It’s really that simple. You don’t have to pay a processing fee and you don’t get penalised if you are accepted but don’t end up going (but do let them know ASAP when you know you’re not going!) so why not give it a shot? If you do get accepted, you’ll have to let me know how you got on.
You don’t get emailed when the Cannes Film Festival Accreditation office have made their decision. You just have to log back into your account and if you find lots of information about travelling to Cannes, a map of the cinemas and such, you’re in! I had to email the Cannes Film Festival office just to double-check as I didn’t think it was that obvious.
Those are my pearls of wisdom on how to successfully apply for Cannes Film Festival Accreditation as a cinephile. If you’re going, you’ll have to let me know in the comments below!
Read next:
Attending Cannes Film Festival 2017: Invitations, Sunburn, Pedro, oh my!
Cannes Film Festival: How to see films with a Cinephile Badge
Cannes Film Festival: How to see films without a Badge/Accreditation
The Ultimate Guide to Cannes Film Festival: EVERYTHING First Timer’s need to know
Great stuff. Very detailed info.
I’d just add that if you want to catch a few screenings, the Critics Week offer free leftover seats at the Miramar. The thing is, you have to apply for an invitation first, then queue on the day and hope that you get in, as you are being offered leftover seats.
If you’re in town, it’s worth a shot.
I’ve put this and other suggestions on my site (just click the name above).
Michael
Thanks Michael! I always want to provide as much detail as possible.
I have many other posts on Cannes including exactly where you can watch films with Cinephile accreditation here: https://almostginger.com/cannes-film-festival-cinephile-badge/
Thak you a lot for inforamation!
And dont you remember when did you apply last year? on first/second day?
I am afraid that i will apply one week after official start. isnt it too late?
No worries Kate! 🙂 This year, applications are due to open on February 1st (though they said the same last year and it ended up being the 13th) and last around a month, they usually post a closing date once applications are open. As long as you apply within the month that applications are open, you’ll have a chance 🙂
This sounds awesome! I don’t have those cinema passes nor belong to a film club, but I am a member of a film rating group (where we just see if the movie really is for the rating it is given – if a PG movie is PG and so forth). Does that count?
Great and informative post, btw! 🙂
Aw thank you!! 😊 I’m going to be publishing a couple more helpful Cannes posts very soon, they’re just proving time-consuming to write haha.
Well… I would say it’s definitely worth a shot, and I don’t see why that wouldn’t count! They aren’t specific in the application, they just say “film club or association” so I don’t think they’re bothered about what kind of group you’re a part of, the main hurdle is the ‘membership card’ because of course this is the “proof” that you are part of a film club and therefore evidence you like film!
As a member of the LAMB, we don’t have membership cards so, like I said in the post, just submitted a screen shot of my introduction post on the LAMB site. So if there’s a list of members or a profile about you somewhere stating you as a member of this group (or something like that) then you could screen shot that and submit it in the place of a ‘membership card’.
Does that make sense? I feel like I’ve explained it in a very complicated way 😂