September 20, 1946 –
The first Cannes film festival, the first great international cultural event of the post-war period, begins on this date.
Among the selections that year were:
The Seventh Veil directed by Compton Bennett
Wet Paint directed by Jack King, produced by Walt Disney
The Bandit (Il bandito) directed by Alberto Lattuada
Beauty and the Beast directed by Jean Cocteau
The Stone Flower directed by Kamennyy Tsvetok
Caesar and Cleopatra directed by Gabriel Pascal
The festival was France’s response to the world’s first international film festival in Venice, Italy, in 1932. By 1938, the Venice festival had become a Nazi propaganda tool, and France decided to hold a rival event focused strictly on film. Its planned 1939 debut was delayed when World War II broke out.
The Haus of Dcaligari 