The Cannes Film Festival has named TikTok as an official partner, a new agreement that aims to bring the cultural event closer to the digital platform's one billion users across the world.
Cannes, which prohibited selfies on the red carpet some years ago, is hoping to attract global attention by providing TikTok users with exclusive material from backstage, glamorous red carpet moments, and celebrity interviews.
Aiming to position itself as a top entertainment destination and content creator, the banner is also launching the #TikTokShortFilm, a global in-app competition of vertical short films that are between 30 seconds and 3 minutes in length. The jury of the first edition of #TikTokShortFilm will be presided over by a well-known director whose name will be announced at a later stage. Three awards will be handed out during the festival at an event attended by Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux.
The #TikTokShortFilm, a global in-app competition of vertical short films between 30 seconds and 3 minutes in duration, is being launched by the banner in order to market itself as a leading entertainment destination and content generator. The first edition of #TikTokShortFilm will be judged by a well-known director, whose name will be revealed at a later date. Thierry Fremaux, the president of Cannes, will attend an occasion where three awards will be presented during the festival.
We are ecstatic to have them as an official partner. "Entertainment enthusiasts from all over the world come to TikTok to be entertained, express themselves, and learn new things, but they also share a real and satisfying feeling of community that they can't find anywhere else," added Waterworth.
"As our community prepares to be inspired, moved, and amused, bound by a shared love of video and movies," the executive stated, TikTok "look forward to opening up more creative possibilities for our community."
Fremaux expressed excitement about the partnership, saying that TikTok will "share the magic of the festival with a wider, much more global, and just as much [of a] cinephile audience than ever before.