The 71st Cannes Film Festival will take place from Tuesday, May 8th to Saturday, May 19th, 2018. It will start one day earlier than in previous years, but will run for exactly the same length of time.

The opening will therefore take place on the evening of Tuesday, May 8th and the awards ceremony will be on Saturday, May 19th.

“Following 2017’s anniversary edition, the Festival is beginning a new period in its history,” says Festival President Pierre Lescure. “We intend to renew the principles of our organization as much as possible, while continuing to question the cinema of our age and to be present through its upheavals.”

In its announcement the festival notes that the new schedule will allow it to rebalance the two weeks of the event and to bring new energy to the proceedings.  Starting on a Tuesday is expected to allow the festival to hold an additional gala evening before the Festival weekend and to organize previews of the opening film throughout France. Finally, bringing forward the announcement of awards by one day, to Saturday evening, will increase its prestige, while at the same time giving the closing film better exposure.