Cinema is not the only creative field in the spotlight in Cannes
Culture allows us to develop policies focused on learning about citizenship, empowerment and mutual respect. The City Council has a proactive cultural policy, allocating 16% of its operating budget, i.e. €30,200,000, to support creativity, broadcasting, promotion and transmission.
Since 2017, all of Cannes' cultural organisations have been involved in creating Artistic and Cultural Education projects (Education Artistique et Culturelle - EAC), in partnership with the National Education Authority and the DRAC PACA. As a result, for the 2019-2020 academic year, all infant, primary, secondary school pupils and 91% of high school pupils in Cannes along with 95% of students have benefited from Artistic & Cultural Education projects (EAC). These achievements have made Cannes a pioneer and exemplary city in terms of introducing EAC across the board.
Among the new cultural facilities recently inaugurated, the Romain Gary media library opened in the city centre in Autumn 2017, which further expands the existing network of media libraries (including three further media libraries, a book library and a media-library bus).
In April 2019, the Théâtre Municipal de la Licorne was awarded the title of Scène Conventionnée d'Intérêt National Art, Enfance, Jeunesse, which recognises the excellence of its artistic and cultural initiative programmes for projects relating to broadcasting, production and performance of contemporary drama for younger audiences.
In addition, throughout the year, all members of the public can enjoy:
Cannes is committed to the future of its culture and is modernizing its facilities by refurbishing the Moulin Forville-Victor Tuby, transforming it into a house museum dedicated to Provençal culture. It is preparing plans for a major renovation to transform "la Malmaison" into a 950m² contemporary art centre and is including a project for a Musée International du Cinéma et du Festival de Cannes as part of a structured approach to developing the Côte d'Azur Creative Economy. This international museum will provide France with a major venue dedicated to the Seventh Art and will be an edutainment facility offering an immersive and original environment allowing visitors to discover how a film is created, produced and broadcast.
Lastly, Cannes is home to two prestigious schools offering recognised diplomas in Dance and Acting; the Pôle National Supérieur de Danse Rosella Hightower and the Ecole Régionale d'Acteurs de Cannes-Marseille. It also has an established symphony orchestra (L'Orchestre Régional de Cannes Provence-Côte d'Azur) and a number of professional performing arts companies (notably La compagnie Humaine, the Hervé Koubi company, CCD la Berlue, Arketal, Bakkhus, Frédéric Fisbach). The Commune of Cannes welcomes a number of artists in residence to create and promote their work, and each year invites the Villa Rothschild, Médiathèque Noailles and the Fort Royal on Ile Sainte-Marguerite to host authors, visual artists, photographers, playwrights and illustrators, as well as choreographers in schools. It also provides facilities for the artists to work.
In addition, the Lérins Islands, located in the Bay of Cannes, boast an exceptional cultural and natural heritage. The Abbaye de Lérins on Ile Saint-Honorat is among the few religious houses to have been re-established on an early Christian monastic site bearing the prestige of its first-generation saints. It remains the oldest surviving centre of island monastic life in the Christian world. With a remarkable military heritage, Ile Sainte-Marguerite features a botanical trail with exceptional flora and an extensive bird sanctuary. The seabed conceals a wealth of natural and archaeological treasures.
Finally, there are a number of open-air cultural events organised. The public space is regularly set up with a stage for artistic performances. Cinema, music, theatre, dance, sculpture, design and the visual arts are regularly showcased outside the confines of public institutions to reach a wider audience and not just an exclusive one. All municipal services are involved in artistic commissions.
