Guide to awards season: from Cannes to the Oscars

The film year has its own rhythm. In spring and summer, blockbusters dominate; in autumn and winter, films with Oscar ambitions begin their journey through festivals and cinemas. Then, in March, comes the Oscar ceremony — the culmination of a season that began months earlier on the French Riviera. How does this system work? And how do festivals and awards connect?

The festival system: a launchpad for success

Film festivals are not just cultural events — they are commercial marketplaces. Studios, distributors, and sales agents meet; films are bought and sold; and critics and journalists create the initial buzz that can help a film months later during its awards campaign.

A film that wins a prize or receives significant critical praise at a major festival gains an enormous advantage: media attention, credibility, and a narrative that distributors can use in their marketing. "Winner, Palme d'Or, Cannes" or "Winner, Golden Lion, Venice" are powerful marketing tools.

The big three: Cannes, Venice, Berlin

Cannes (May)

The most glamorous and influential film festival in the world. The Palme d'Or is the highest honour at Cannes and one of the most prestigious prizes in cinema. The festival on the French Riviera attracts the biggest names in cinema each year alongside the most promising new voices. The jury — always chaired by a renowned filmmaker — decides the awards.

Films selected for Cannes' main competition (Compétition officielle) automatically receive international attention. Many Best Picture Oscar winners premiere at Cannes or are first seen there. Recent Palme d'Or winners: Triangle of Sadness (2022), Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Anora (2024).

Venice (August/September)

The world's oldest film festival (founded 1932) is also the starting gun for awards season. Because Venice takes place at the end of August and beginning of September, it is the first major festival of the "awards season." A Golden Lion in Venice is almost a guarantee of further attention. Recent Oscar champions that premiered in Venice: Joker (2019, Golden Lion), Nomadland (2020, Golden Lion, later Oscar Best Picture).

Berlinale (February)

The Berlin film festival is more politically and socially oriented than Cannes or Venice. The Golden Bear is the top prize; the festival programmes many documentaries, European films, and politically engaged cinema. The Berlinale audience differs from Cannes: more cinephile, less celebrity-focused, more intellectual.

Toronto: the Oscar predictor

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September is perhaps the best single predictor of the Oscar Best Picture winner. The People's Choice Award — voted by regular TIFF audiences — almost invariably goes to the eventual Oscar favourite. Recent winners: Nomadland (2020), CODA (2021, later Oscar Best Picture), The Fabelmans (2022).

TIFF is also the most accessible major festival for the general public: tickets are available to everyone, not only industry professionals.

The Oscars: the end of a long road

The Academy Awards — better known as the Oscars — are the world's most recognised film prizes. They are awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an organisation of more than 10,000 film professionals. Each category is voted on by specialists: directors vote for Best Director, actors for Best Acting categories, and so on. Best Picture is voted on by all members.

The Oscar campaign is a discipline in its own right. Studios spend millions on "For Your Consideration" campaigns: sending screeners to Academy members, organising special screenings, placing advertisements in trade publications like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The film that wins the Oscar is not always the "best" film of the year — it's the film that ran the most effective campaign and garnered the broadest support from the diverse Academy membership.

European film awards

The European Film Awards (EFA), often called the "European Oscars," are presented annually in December by the European Film Academy. They shine a light on the rich European film landscape that receives less attention in the US. For European cinema programmers, the EFAs are a valuable guide to films that are likely to resonate with their audiences.