Two Weeks In the Midday Sun
Updated: 1 day ago
By Julie Sisk | March 31, 2026 Over the coming weeks, we’ll turn our attention to each of the major festivals—considering what distinguishes them, and why each offers a different kind of experience. It feels only right to begin with Cannes. For two weeks each May, Cannes becomes the center of the film world. Not metaphorically— literally. Filmmakers, producers, financiers, journalists, and audiences from around the globe converge in one place, and for that brief window, everything is happening at once. Films premiere here that will define the year ahead. Careers are launched—or transformed—in a single screening. Conversations that begin over coffee carry through to late dinners and, often, into something much more lasting. There is a certain intensity to Cannes. The days are long, the nights longer. The pace can be relentless. And yet, within that rhythm, there are moments—unexpected, unrepeatable—that remind you why cinema matters. What distinguishes Cannes is not simply its scale or its glamour, but its proximity to the industry itself. That is the difference. In the weeks ahead, we’ll look at Venice, Toronto, London, and San Sebastián—each remarkable in its own way. But Cannes is where it begins. With love of cinema, |
– Julie
