The most awarded countries at the Cannes Film Festival 1996-2016

From 1996 to 2019, France appears to be the country which has received the highest number of awards at the Cannes Film Festival. France was followed by the United States, which was awarded 20 times in Cannes since the nineties. American movies had the most success on the French Riviera, taking home 13 Palms d’Or since 1955.

Cannes Film Festival: an event on the French Riviera

The Cannes Film Festival is an annual film festival which takes place in the south of France, in the city of Cannes. The festival is one of the most important events of the cinema industry, alongside with the Academy awards. In 2015, the population of Cannes grew from 70,000 to 210,000, while the number of journalists covering the festival reached 4,500. With movie stars from all around the globe arriving in Cannes, the festival has always been perceived by the general public as an elitist and glamorous event.

Film industry in Europe

Even though the United States is the country which received the most Palms d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival is an event which highlights European creations. For example, out of the ten countries with the most Palms d’Or, eight were European. France, the host country, is one of the most leading box office markets worldwide, ahead of populated nations like India, Germany or Russia. The number of feature films produced annually in Europe has been increasing since the beginning of the 2010s, reaching a record number of more than 2,100 films within the continent in 2017.