"We know that Rachida Dati is thinking about Paris for the 2026 municipal elections": Cannes fears it will never see its International Cinema Museum project see the light of day

Cannes off-limits for the future International Museum of Cinema? This is the worst-case scenario David Lisnard now fears regarding this project, which is intended to certify the city of festivals as the world capital of the 7th art. For years, Cannes has been aspiring to the establishment of a "museum temple" of cinema, based on a wish already expressed by former mayor Bernard Brochand.

On a plot of 16,000m2 (which remains to be defined, while three sites are considered, notably to the west of the town near the Cineum), the building (of 5,200m2) would comprise four modules.

One will obviously be dedicated to the International Film Festival. Two other modules include an interactive learning space for children in the 7th art professions (covering 600m²), and a "labfab" dedicated to the development of digital technology and new technologies.

But the biggest piece of the project (if not the highlight of the show) is this International Museum of Cinema, which aims to rival Los Angeles, with 5,200m2 of exhibition space (also with a screening room and an auditorium). But this is where the problem lies. Because a "twist" worthy of a disaster movie has given rise to the most serious concerns among Cannes elected officials. In October 2024 during the Lumière Festival in Lyon (which gives pride of place to classical heritage), the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, responded to a column in Le Monde in which the board of directors of the Cinémathèque Française (chaired by filmmaker Costa-Gavras) called for the creation of such a Museum. While the tenant of Rue de Valois declared herself in favor of "initiating a real reflection on the feasibility of this project ," she never mentioned the word "Cannes" as the destination city.

Ministerial end clap on Cannes ambitions?

That was all it took for the Croisette to go wild. Especially since the Minister of Culture hasn't given David Lisnard a single interview on the subject since. Not even during his visit to the Film Festival last May. For Jean-Michel Arnaud, the Minister of Culture's deputy, none of this is trivial. Nor is it an involuntary omission.

"We know that Rachida Dati is thinking about Paris for the 2026 municipal elections, so announcing projects of this type for the capital would help her campaign," explains the Cannes elected official, for whom the pill would be all the more difficult to swallow since "since 2020, we have been working on this Cinema Museum in close collaboration with the Cinémathèque and the CNC (National Cinema Centre) which depend on the Ministry of Culture. However, we have already finalized its content. Resetting everything to establish it elsewhere would be completely absurd and expensive, considering the public money that has already been spent."

The total cost of this memorial temple is estimated at 200 million euros, of which 80 million euros will be allocated to the Film Festival Museum (half financed by the City, half by patronage).

"For the International Museum of Cinema, a true odyssey of the 7th art since its creation by the Lumière brothers, we hope to obtain the National Museum label so that it is fully supported by the State," adds Jean-Michel Arnaud.

Rachida Dati's true intentions remain to be seen. When contacted, her office has not yet responded to our request.

The Film Festival Museum will definitely be in Cannes!

Last May, during the 78th edition of the Film Festival, its general delegate Thierry Frémaux and the mayor of Cannes David Lisnard publicly confirmed the creation of a 1,000m2 space that will include a permanent exhibition on the evolution of the event from its creation to the present day, via a public scenography, archives, objects, costumes, and other testimonies. Temporary exhibitions will also highlight filmmakers and their works. The idea is to " make it a place that brings the Film Festival to life all year round in Cannes," Thierry Frémaux explained.

The architectural competition will be launched next May. The first stone could be laid in 2027 for the FIF's 80th anniversary, before opening in 2030. A way to always be at the top of the bill. With or without the International Museum of Cinema...