Cannes learns context 🦁
As someone who has chronicled the PR sector's uneven emergence at Cannes since 2009, there are good reasons for optimism.
There is no singular Cannes experience. It's worth bearing that in mind as you sift through the inevitable deluge of think pieces that accompany the festival's conclusion. From star-studded affairs in Cap D'Antibes to backstreet podcasts in makeshift studios, Cannes is increasingly defined by a multitude of perspectives.
This, for those of us that remember the festival's glaring lack of diversity, is no bad thing. Cannes is a far more heterogeneous place these days, although the skew towards the privileged remains hard to miss. A variety of views cannot ever hurt, even if it makes a convenient, overarching narrative more difficult to discern.
Against that refracted prism, though, one thing that united punters of all stripes last week was the oppressive heat. Indeed, Europe's battle with record temperatures offered some easy symbolism, of the real world finally intruding on the festival's rather more manicured landscapes. Thankfully, that sense of reality was not limited to weather conditions alone, reflecting how Cannes has evolved from an advertising-first worldview to something that better reflects the full tapestry of stakeholder relationships.
