Last year, the Cannes Film Festival had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, so fans of the big screen will be delighted to learn that the festival will be taking place in 2021.
The festival culminates with the winning film being awarded the highest prize, the Palme d’Or, or “Golden Palm”. This prestigious award is considered to be one of the highest honours in the entertainment industry, and it was first awarded in 1955. Before this, from 1939 to 1954, the top prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film.
The Board of Directors of the film festival decided in 1954 to invite submissions from several renowned jewellers for a brand-new design. The brief was to create an award that symbolised the coat of arms of the city of Cannes, which included a tribute to Saint Honorat and the swaying palm trees that lined the Promenade de la Croisette. Parisian jeweller Lucienne Lazon designed the first Palme d’Or, and the iconic golden palm leaf was born, becoming one of the most instantly recognisable engraved awards in the film industry.
Since then, the award has been updated several times, but the original palm leaf design has endured. The current design features a 118-gram, 18-carat gold palm leaf finished with a heart-shaped branch. It sits upon a rock crystal cushion and is presented in a blue Moroccan leather case.
The Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to run from 6th July to 17th July.
