Why are palm branches chosen as the symbol of Cannes film festival?

Besides, the Palme d'Or is also one of the most prestigious awards in the film world. But why is palm branch?

Referring to Cannes Film Festival, people are forced to remember one of the most prestigious awards in the world cinema - Palme d'Oro (Palme d'Oro).

However, have you ever wondered what the palm tree image means and why it is used as a symbol for one of these most prestigious film events?

Meaning of palm branch icons

The palm-tree icon has appeared on official documents of the Cannes Film Festival since 1939. However, it was only 16 years later - in 1955 - it was considered the reward for the best film of the film festival. This reputation.

Picture 1 of Why are palm branches chosen as the symbol of Cannes film festival?
Palm branch icons on official documents of Cannes Film Festival.

But why is palm branch? The reason is simple, because the palm tree is actually the symbol of Cannes town in France . It appears on the badge, and is associated with a local adage: "Palm is the pride of the victor".

According to legend, St. Honora once climbed a palm tree to pray to God to destroy poisonous snakes on the smallest island of Lerins (Cannes - France). The Lord listened and created a powerful wave, swept away the remaining snakes on the island.

Today, one can still find a monastery named Saint Honora in the bay of Cannes named to express gratitude to this saint.

But also, the Cannes Film Festival committee decided to take this meaningful image as a symbol of the winning film.

Award golden palm branches - meticulously detailed

The Palme d'Or is the highest award awarded by the Cannes Film Festival for the best film of the year.

The image of yellow palm branches as we see it today is designed in 1998 by Caroline Scheufele - president of Swiss Chopard Group. 19 palm leaves are handcrafted in gold, cleverly bent before attaching to a crystal rack.

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The image of golden palm branch has been designed since 1998 by Caroline Scheufele - president of Swiss Chopard Group.

The process of creating statues requires the ingenuity and meticulousness of the oldest jewelers. It is known that palm branches are awarded to the director with the best film of the year will weigh 188 grams of 18-carat gold, with a value of up to 20,000 euros (more than 540 million).

Typically, at each festival, the producer always prepares at least one backup gold statue in case of any incidents or two award-winning films.

In addition, since 2000, the best male and female lead actors have also received smaller Golden Palm. Prizes will also be delivered to the event venue just before the closing ceremony for security reasons.

Picture 3 of Why are palm branches chosen as the symbol of Cannes film festival?
There will be only one large palm branch for the director, and two smaller palm branches for the best male and female actors.

Choosing the best film to win the Golden Palm is also a very complicated process. The panel of judges judged with 9 members. They must swear not to disclose any information about the process of evaluating cinematographic works to avoid the media's scrutiny.

The members of the BGK will spend 4 - 5 hours a day to focus on watching movies and not be exposed to critiques, judgments and predictions completely related to the results of this award.

They will constantly have to attend a secret meeting and discuss the film so that they can choose the best candidate for the most prestigious film award.

The Chairman of the Board of Management will be responsible for coordinating activities for the whole committee, including arranging meetings and ensuring that the activities take place effectively.

Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival international film de Cannes or simply le Festival de Cannes) is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, held for the first time from September 20 to October 5. in 1946 in the city of Cannes, south of France.