I read a funny phrase the other day: «Cannes is held in France.» The American writer was referring to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which you may be attending right now. But his semantic glitch got me thinking: does Cannes actually have to be held in France?
In its early days, the festival took place every year in Venice (hence the Lions), switching to Cannes full time when it became clear that the waterlogged Italian town was a transportation nightmare. For a long time, it was run by Roger Hatchuel, a Frenchman. But these days it's owned by the company Emap, which is based in England.
I'm not saying that the festival should be held in rainy London - non, merci - but perhaps it's time to consider alternatives. How about Barcelona? Cool, fun, with great transportation, conference facilities - and a beach. Or Berlin? Creative ambience, superb museums, hedonistic nightlife, excellent hotels. Istanbul? One of the world's most compelling and inspiring cities. Athens? Let's face it, they could use the money.
Alongside pure tradition, no doubt there are many practical, economic and political reasons why the festival should stay in Cannes. And we all look forward to our annual passing out at the Gutter Bar. But I'm just saying that now the festival has creativity in its title, maybe it should think out of the box.
