Cannes Film Festival Re-Elects Iris Knobloch to Second Term as President
The board of directors of the Cannes Film Festival has unanimously re-elected Iris Knobloch to serve a second term as festival president.
Knobloch, a former executive at Warner Bros. France, took over from Pierre Lescure as the first-ever female president of the Cannes festival in 2023. Her new mandate will run for three years, through the festival’s 2028 edition.
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Announcing the decision, the board said it reflects “a renewed vote of confidence in [Knobloch’s] leadership, acknowledging her achievements, ensuring stability, and enabling the continuation of the Festival’s strategic initiatives.”
In a statement, Knobloch said she was “profoundly honored to once again receive the trust of our Board of Directors. I take great pride in the success of the past two editions and I am excited to continue this journey alongside our General Delegate Thierry Frémaux and our dedicated teams in the years to come. Together, we will continue working hand in hand to nurture and enhance this magnificent Festival, a unique platform where all films, voices, and talent find their place.”
The German-born, Paris-based Knobloch is best-known in the industry for her long and successful career at WarnerMedia, where she eventually became head of the studio’s operations across France, Germany, Benelux, Austria and Switzerland, overseeing strategy, commercial and group marketing activities for the regions. At Warner Bros. she played a key role in lobbying to secure a Cannes competition slot for Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist in 2011, a launchpad the film used en route to a historic awards run, capped by five Oscar wins, including for best picture, in 2012.
She has served as President of the Festival de Cannes since July 2022.
Knobloch said her second term as festival president would be dedicated to “safeguarding the Festival’s artistic excellence, championing creative freedom and upholding the Festival’s humanistic values. [I will] continue to protect the independence of the selection process, relentlessly support emerging talents, and ensure that Cannes remains a place where cinematic creativity and technological innovation intersect and enrich one another. I also reaffirm my commitment to ensuring that the Festival remains a space of equality and recognition for all, with a special focus on empowering women to showcase their incredible creativity.”
The 2025 Cannes Film Festival runs May 13-24.
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