Since we’re in the midst of the Festival de Cannes I thought it’d be nice to take a look at every single poster to date since the film festival’s inception in 1946.
Cannes Film Festival Poster Archive
Note: this post has been updated since its original publication each year
You can see how the design and typography trends of the times are reflected in the following poster styles. Many were created by famous french illustrators, some by directors (such as Fellini and Kurosawa), and even one by artist Jenny Holzer. All are shown below, along with design credits, from the most recent to the very first.
2022
The Official Poster of the 75th Festival de Cannes is an image from Peter Weir and Andrew Niccol’s The Truman Show (1998). A modern reflection of Plato’s cave and the decisive scene urges viewers to not only experience the border between reality and its representation but to ponder the power of fiction, between manipulation and catharsis. Just as the unforgettable Truman embodied by the one-and-only Jim Carrey whose fingers brush his horizon, the Festival de Cannes takes the extreme nature of the world in its stride in order to grasp it again.
COPYRIGHT PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION – JIM CARREY, THE TRUMAN SHOW BY PETER WEIR, © Paramount Pictures Corporation – Jim Carrey, The Truman Show by Peter Weir / Graphic Design © Hartland Villa
2021
The official poster of the 74th Festival de Cannes:Photograph of Spike Lee courtesy of Bob Peterson & Nike © All rights reserved, Graphic design © Hartland Villa
2020
Because of the COVID pandemic, the festival did not occur in 2020 and there was no official poster design that year.
2019 – Designed by Flore Maquin, who was also the designer behind the official poster for the the year prior, the officiel 2019 Festival de Cannes poster features a warm tone montage of a vintage photo of French film director Agnès Varda (1951-2019) at work against a backdrop of twinkling lights.
2018 – The poster for the 71st Festival de Cannes, created by graphic designer Flore Maquin, is a solarized poster design made from George Pierre’s original photo taken on the set of the French film Pierrot le Fou with Anna Karina and Jean Paul Belmondo.
2017 – The official poster for the 70th Festival de Cannes sparked some well-deserved outrage. The poster, featuring a photograph of Claudia Cardinale taken on a Rome rooftop in 1959, was digitally-altered to make her waist, arms, legs appear thinner.
2016 – The official poster for the 69th Festival de Cannes, taking place from 11 to 22 May and presided over by Australian director George Miller, was designed using stills from Jean-Luc Godard’s film Contempt.
2015 – The festival poster featured Hollywood star and Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, photographed by David Seymour. The poster was chosen to pay tribute to Bergman for her contributions to films and who also served as the Jury President at 1973 Cannes Film Festival.
2014
Find detailed information about the above 2014 Cannes Film Festival Poster here
2013 -Bronx agency of Paris created the 66th Official Cannes Festival de Film Poster which features a photo of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward during the shooting of the film A New Kind of Love:
The original poster for the movie served as the inspiration:
This animated version of the 2013 poster was created to promote the 66th Cannes Film Festival:
2012 – Bronx agency of Paris created the poster from an archival photo by Otto L. Bettmann (©Corbis/Bettmann)
2011 – The poster features a photo of Faye Dunaway taken by Jerry Schatzberg in 1970
2010 – The poster was created by Annick Durban from a photograph of Juliette Binoche by Brigitte Lacombe.
2009 – The poster is a still from Michelangelo Antonioni’s l’Avventura (1960), Credit: L’Avventura – M. Antonioni. Société cinématographique Lyre – Cino del Duca ©AFFIF
2008 – The poster is by Pierre Collier, a cinema poster artist who worked from a photograph by David Lynch who represents the model of the Crazy Horse, Anouk Marguerite.
2007 – The poster is a photo homage to Philippe Halsman by Alex Majoli © Magnum Photos, Graphic Design by Christophe Renard
2006 – The poster has been created by Gabriel Guedj (Agence Magazine), from a photograph by Wing Shya for Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love.
2005 – The poster is an original illustration by Frédéric Menant and Tim Garcia from It’s up to you agency.
2004 – The poster is an illustration by Alerte Orange, communication and graphic design agency.
2003 – The poster is an original illustration by Jenny Holzer.
2002 – The poster is an original illustration by Guillaume Lebigre
2001 – The poster is an original illustration by Granger
2000 – The poster is an original illustration by Lorenzo Mattoti
1999 – The poster is an original illustration by Jean-Pierre Gendis Conception: DDB les Arts
1998 – The poster is an illustration by DDB les Arts agency.
1997 – The poster is an illustration by DDB les Arts agency.
1996 – The poster is an illustration by DDB les Arts agency.
1995 – The poster is an original illustration by Ryszard Horowitz.
1994 – The poster is adapted from an original drawing by Federico Fellini.
1993 – Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious by Alfred Hitchcock. Conception by Michel Landi.
1992 – Marlene Dietrich’s portrait by Don English. Conception by Michel Landi.
1991 – The poster is an original illustration by Philippe and Pascal Lemoine.
1990 – The poster is an original illustration by Castella Traquandi.
1989 – The poster is an original illustration by Ludovic.
1988 – The poster is an original illustration by Tibor Timar.
1987 – The poster is an original illustration by Cueco.
1986 – Conception by Information and Stratégie.
1985 – The poster is a tribute to E. Muybridge. Conception by Information and Strategie.
1984 – The poster was adapted from an original film set by Alexandre Trauner.
1983 – The poster was adapted from an original drawing by Akira Kurosawa.
1982 – The poster was adapted from an original drawing by Federico Fellini.
1981 and 1980 – The poster is an original illustration by Michel Landi and was used two years in a row.
1979 – The poster is an original illustration by Folon.
1978 – The poster is an original illustration by Folon.
1977 – The poster is an original illustration by Siudmak.
1976 – The poster is an original illustration by Siudmak.
1975 – The poster is an original illustration by Siudmak.
1974 – The poster is an original illustration by Georges Lacroix
1973 – artist unknown
1972 – artist unknown
1971 – artist unknown
1970 – The poster is an original illustration by Ferracci.
1969 – artist unknown
1968 – The poster is an original illustration by Beaugendre.
1967 – The poster is an original illustration by Ferracci.
1966 – The poster is an original illustration by Ferracci.
1965 – artist unknown
1964 – The poster is an original illustration by Jean-Claude Moreau.
1963 – The poster is an original illustration by Jean-Denis Maillart.
1962 – The Poster is an original illustration by A.M. Rodicq
1961 – The Poster is an original illustration by A.M. Rodicq
1960 – The poster is an original illustration by Jean-Denis Maillart.
1959 – The poster is an original illustration by Jouineau Bourduge.
1958 – The poster is an original illustration by Pon’t.
1957 – artist unknown but most likely same artist as poster for 1965
1956 – The poster is an original illustration by Marcel Huet.
1955 – The poster is an original illustration by Marcel Huet.
1954 – The poster is an original illustration by Piva.
1953 – The poster is an original illustration by Jean-Luc.
1952 – The poster is an original illustration by Jean Don.
1951 – The poster is an original illustration by A.M. Rodicq.
1950 (no festival that year)
1949 – The poster is an original illustration by G.C. Chavane.
1948 (no festival that year)
1947 – The poster is an original illustration by Jean-Luc.
1946 – The poster is an original illustration by Leblanc
Some of the vintage posters can be purchased here
Official Festival de Cannes website