Cannes Film Festival 'welcoming young people' with large TikTok presence

TikTok is headed to Cannes Film Festival in a big way.

The platform, which is the official partner of the festival, has a lot going on at this year's event, including a red carpet livestream with TikTokers that kicks off Tuesday.

Thierry Frémaux, Cannes Film Festival head, described the collaboration as "part of a desire to diversify the audience" for the festival.

"We’re looking forward to sharing the most exciting and inspiring moments from the Festival and seeing the Festival reimagined through the lens of TikTok creators and its community," Frémaux said in a March announcement about the partnership.

The @festivaldecannes account launched officially on TikTok in March. It has since amassed over 13,000 followers.

The partnership comes just four years after the festival banned red carpet selfies. Frémaux told outlet Le Film Français in 2018 that “the trivial aspect and slowing down provoked by the disorder which these selfies create tarnishes the quality of [the red carpet experience] and of the festival as a whole.”

Earlier this year, Frémaux told Variety that the festival, which this year runs until May 28, had been discussing a potential partnership with TikTok “for a while.”

"We’re happy to have this partnership in place for 2022 because it corresponds to today’s world," he said in April. "It’s not about making the festival 'younger,' it’s about welcoming young people while caring for 'our' elders."

A spokesperson for the festival and TikTok did not respond to requests for further comment.

Here's what to expect.

Red carpet live streams

In a video posted Monday, makeup guru Nikkie Tutorials said she will host a livestream from the festival’s opening ceremonies.

TikTok announced that she will be joined by creator and pop culture critic TerryLTAM.

Nikkie Tutorials and TerryLTAM did not immediately respond to requests for an interview.

“There will be big dresses, lots of entertainment and even some of your favorite TikTok creators coming by to say hi,” she said.

It will stream from TikTok’s @festivaldecannes account throughout the event, which runs May 17-28.

Behind-the-scenes content

The Cannes Film Festival account on TikTok will also feature behind-the-scenes content from creators and interviews with red carpet attendees.

Twenty TikTok creators from different nations have been invited to attend the fest to share "their authentic Cannes experiences," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The platform has not yet released the names of the creators, other than the two hosting the livestream.

A short film competition

The partnership also includes an international short film competition.

Last month, creators flexed their filmmaking and in-app editing skills with the tag #tiktokshortfilm.

A panel of filmmakers selected finalists for three categories: grand prix, best script and best editing. Winners will receive a trip to Cannes, covered by TikTok, as well as invitations to festival screenings and the first TikTok Award Ceremony.

Frémaux will announce the winners of each category on May 20. The grand prix winner will receive a cash prize of 10,000 euros, and winners of the other two categories will receive 5,000 euros each.

Rich Waterworth, general manager of TikTok Europe, said in a statement that the platform is “excited to partner with the Festival de Cannes ... to deliver creative ways for our community to be inspired, moved and entertained, bound by a shared love of video and cinema.”