A palace for a festival : from the Casino municipal to the congresses and festivals palace, 1946 - 1982

Exhibition until June 3 2023 at the Calmette Space, 18 docteur Calmette street, 06400 Cannes, open Monday to Friday (1.30pm to 5pm), phone : 04.89.82.20.70, admission free.

The story of the Congresses and festivals palace stays unknown and this exhibition tells this story towards 95 documents and thirty pannels from the municipalty archives. The Casino municipal has been created by the architect Camille Mari and inaugurated January 28 1907. It takes the place of the Casino des Fleurs builds in 1888 by Henri Heurlier in Montfleury but closed ten years after because few people move in only attracted by the famous Croisette. In 1939 the Casino municipal is deeply changed for welcoming the first edition of the Cannes film festival. Many chairs, a big sreen and some cameras have been introduced in but everything stops after the war declaration. The 1946 edition of the Cannes film festival happens there between September 20 and October 4 1946 but a new place more appropriated for such event must be build. Under the directives of the architect Maurice Gridaine a new palace the Croisette Palace known as le Palais des Festivals welcomes the Cannes film festival between 1947 to 1982 except in 1948 and 1950 because the board needs time for finishing the fiting out. This eclectic and modern style palace is built with reinforced concrete, metal, glass and marble around a big screening room owning 1500 sits. It will be used until the end of the 1980's and distroyed after because the Cannes municipalty thought in spite of many filing out that it was too old. After the destruction a new palace will be constructed and names the Noga Hilton (1988 to 2007), the Stephanie Palace (2007 to 2011) and the JWMariott (2011). Now he is used for the Directors fortnight's during each Cannes Film Festival. In 1977 two architects Robert Bennett and François Druet have been choose for creating a new Congresses and festivals palace who will be erect where the former Casino municipal stays. Some controversies happen about his appearance but the palace is very usefull for famous shows or events like the Cannes film festival.

Movie stars walking on the famous stairs of the Cannes film festival

The Cannes Film Festival icons - artetcinemas.over-blog.com

The Gilles Traverso collection, Ephemeral Museum, Festivals and Congresses Palace until August 28th 2021, la Croisette, 06414 Cannes Cedex, daily open (2pm - 10pm), phones : 04.97.06.45.08 and ...

https://artetcinemas.over-blog.com/2021/07/the-cannes-film-festival-icons.html

Charles Bébert, the pictures hunter - artetcinemas.over-blog.com

Exhibition at the Picture and Photography Theater until September 12, 2021, Pierre Gautier square 1rst, open from Tuesday to Saturday (10am - 12.30pm, 1.30pm - 6pm), phone : 04.97.13.42.20. The ...

https://artetcinemas.over-blog.com/2021/08/charles-bebert-the-pictures-hunter.html

Mirkine by Mirkine, picture photographers - artetcinemas.over-blog.com

Exhibition at the Massena Museum until May 15 2022, 65 France street, 06000 Nice, daily open except Thursdays (11am - 6pm), phone : 04.93.91.19.10, ticket full price : 15€. The Massena Museum ...

https://artetcinemas.over-blog.com/2022/01/mirkine-by-mirkine-picture-photographers.html

Comments

[Richard Murray]

have you ever been inside it?

[Philippe]

No I haven't seen it. The screenings inside the congresses and festivals palace and the Casino municipal closing happens in 1982 and I moves first in Cannes four years later.