Is Cannes’s Factory a pay‑to‑play scheme?
If you’ve ever tried to raise money for a film production, ask yourself this: how much easier would it be if the project you were pitching came with a guaranteed Cannes premiere through a curated program? Back in February 2024, we received the
CANNES 2025: Un Certain Regard, letter from concerned filmmakers (UPDATE 1)
We received the below email from concerned filmmakers, and we’re posting it as is: update post festival The anonymous letter from concerned filmmakers specifically highlighted potential conflicts of interest involving jury president Molly Manni
GREECE: “Oscar Selection Chaos” – Real Story Ignored by Local and Global Media
As reported in Variety and Deadline, the Hellenic Film Academy, Greece’s national cinema organization, has expressed its “outrage” and is demanding clarification from the Ministry of Culture following a series of “chaotic̶
How Medium sized Festivals Grovel to the Big Boys, by Selecting the Same Films
If you’ve ever wondered why the same films are selected again and again by many different festivals, selections which are often not justified by their artistic merit, and despite the enormous amount of films which are produced each year, this a
Is the Integrity of the European Film Industry Compromised?
Before we delve into the details of this article, we want to remind our readers of a simple yet crucial fact: every year film festivals receive thousands of submissions. The most prestigious ones can receive as many as 15,000 submissions annually.&nb
Downward Spiral: How Festival Corruption, Media, Degrades Film Quality and Industry Standards
The influence of film festivals on the film industry’s standards, practices, and the quality of its output is a complex and often obscured phenomenon with critical scrutiny revealing a web of biases and ethical concerns that challenge the integ
CASE STUDY: Cannes and Festival Sponsorships
As mentioned in our article addressing the BFI London Film Festival we have highlighted a significant issue: in 2021, 19 films funded by the BFI dominated the lineup, severely limiting opportunities for independent filmmakers. This situation undersco
CASE STUDY: The Concentration of Power, Influence & Control in the European Industry
In the past decade and a half, the European film industry has witnessed the emergence of several key organizations, ostensibly designed as tools to support the film industry and filmmakers. However, a closer examination reveals a more complex narrati
Wim Vanacker & Vassilis Kekatos – a two way relationship dating back to 2018
Thanks to readers contribution, and in an update to Conflict of Interest Taints 2019 Cannes Palme d’Or Award, it has been revealed that the relationship between Cannes’ Selection Committee Wim Vanacker, the 2019 Palme d’Or winner Vassil
Conflit d’intérêts entache le prix de la Palme d’Or 2019 du court métrage “La distance entre le ciel et nous” de Vasilis Kekatos
Figures clés liées au film grec primé Une révélation surprenante fait surface : de nouvelles preuves suggèrent qu’un conflit d’intérêts a entaché la sélection officielle du Festival de Cannes 2019 pour les courts métrages et le
Conflict of Interest Taints 2019 Cannes Palme d’Or Award for The Distance Between Us and the Sky by Vasilis Kekatos, Guillaume Dreyfus, Eleni Kossyfidou
Key Figures Connected in Award-Winning Greek Film Evidence suggests a conflict of interest marred the 2019 Cannes Film Festival’s Official Selection for Short Films, and the award itself. The Palme d’Or went to the Greek short film ‘
Σύγκρουση συμφερόντων αμαυρώνει το βραβείο Χρυσού Φοίνικα του Φεστιβάλ Καννών για το 2019 για την ελληνική ταινία μικρού μήκους Η απόσταση ανάμεσα στον ουρανό κι εμάς του Βασίλη Κεκάτου.
Λάβετε υπόψη ότι αυτή είναι μια παλιά έκδοση αυτού του άρθρου. Το πιο ενημερωμένο, είναι αυτό στα αγγλικά Πρόσωπα κλειδιά που συνδέονται
Questions concerning a Producer working for the selection committee at Cannes
Mélissa Malinbaum holds dual roles that potentially generate an alleged conflict of interest within the realm of film production and festival adjudication. She is a member of the Cannes Film Festival short film committee while simultaneously serving
CASE STUDY – Producer & Festival Decision Maker – Dominique Welinski’s Multiple Conflict of Interests Roles in the Industry
A more recent (May 2025) article about this subject was published here. Dominique Welinski maintains a multitude of influential roles within the film industry, generating a potential conflict of interest. She holds the dual position of curator and pr