A total of 22 films compete for the prestigious Palme d’Or prize for best film in the main competition, where Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” from Iran was the winner last year, and is also very political.

But as usual in the build-up to the world’s biggest festival, off-screen talking points have dominated the conversation, most notably how to cope with changes wrought by artificial intelligence – and Hollywood’s decision to ghost the event.

Thierry Fremaux, director of Cannes, was passionate about denouncing AI and its impact on the industry, which is seeing a rise in the number of job losses among dubbing artists and translators, as well as among actors and writers.

It’s for sure that here in Cannes, we stand with the artists, we stand with the screenwriters, and we stand with all those in these professions, actors, voice actors, too.

He proposed that in the future, there could also be labels like there are for organic food and wine, and “we will say ‘this film has been made without artificial intelligence'”. 

The festival, however, announced Monday that it has inked a multi-year sponsorship agreement with social media giant and AI technology investor Meta.

Industry fears

Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta is at the heart of a brewing controversy about the latest film from Oscar-winning “Traffic” director Steven Soderbergh, which will premiere in Cannes.

Soderbergh has worked with Meta to get the AI-generated footage of late Beatles songwriter John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, for his documentary, “John Lennon: The Last Interview”.

AI was a huge factor in the Hollywood strikes of 2023, when actors and writers raised concerns about the dangers of unchecked technology in the film industry.

In an open letter in February, thousands of French actors and filmmakers issued a warning that AI was ‘plundering’ talent throughout the film industry, likening it to a ‘devouring hydra’.

Soderbergh is a rare Hollywood heavyweight in Cannes this year, with others such as Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan — hoped for by organisers — failing to appear on the programme.

‘Come back’

The world’s largest film festival usually highlights independent, arthouse cinema, and depends on Hollywood to give it a bit of mass-market entertainment.

But no major American studio has been willing to release a blockbuster this year — or at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, nor are others like Universal, Disney or Warner answering the question of why they are avoiding European releases.

“I hope the studios come back, I think that’s because of the scheduling and industry turmoil,” Cannes director Fremaux said Monday.

He said that American films were well represented in the main competition with “Paper Tiger” starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, and “The Man I Love” with Rami Malek.

The red carpets, which will be filled with celebrities, won’t lack A-listers.

There’s also a cast gathering for the 25th anniversary of “The Fast and the Furious,” which will feature Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster at a special viewing of the film on Wednesday that was added to the programme late.

The plane-mad legend John Travolta will bring a little stardust to “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” about a young boy’s trip in the “golden age of aviation,” when he unveils his directorial debut.

The festival will kick off with a screening of the French film “The Electric Kiss” before the competition begins on Wednesday, which will be judged by South Korean director Park Chan-wook and Hollywood established Demi Moore, among others.

So it’s finally time.