The Mélies will host the fourteenth edition of “Cannes’telmaurou”, on the occasion of the 79th Cannes festival in 2026. The festival’s opening night at the Mélies cinema will take place this Tuesday starting at 6:30 p.m. Interview with Patrick Jannitte, manager of the local cultural establishment.
“Cannes’telmaurou” event has become a real success with high demand. Are you aware of what you have created, before being imitated?
Yes, we have had real success with this event and I admit that about fifteen years ago, when I created it, I never imagined the level of notoriety it would have now. Over time, this event has grown in prestige, with the official film screening at the grand Lumière theater for the opening of the world’s biggest film festival for the past 13 years.
Today, we have moved Cannes to Castelmaurou, with the Castelmaurou steps descent being filmed live and shown on the screen in the hall. The opening film will be “The Electric Venus” featuring actor Pio Marmañ who walked the red carpet at Mélies with the film “A Difficult Year”, a historic moment for our venue. Tonight’s cocktail reception will be hosted by the group Carte Blanche Evénementiel. It’s always a great moment for the Mélies team to welcome our audience in evening wear and engage with them about cinema, spending the entire evening sharing the passion we have for Cannes. This event is a major one for the Mélies, more than just a simple premiere.
The closing ceremony of the Festival will also be broadcast live at Mélies on Saturday, May 25th around 7 p.m. (exact time to be confirmed at a later date).
How does your passion for cinema always inspire you?
When you have a passion for cinema, it stays with you for life! I am so happy to pass it on to my team so that cinema continues to thrive and persist, and on that note, I have no more worries.
Often, I am asked “how do you manage to bring such and such a guest?” The recipe is simple, you just have to talk to them with passion and the magic happens on its own!
