For the first time the President of Cannes Film Festival is a woman

For the first time the President of the Cannes Film Festival is a woman. Sources claim that the historic decision was made after several hours of heated debate. In the end, Iris Knobloch, former head of WarnerMedia in France and Germany, was approved by the board of the film festival.
Taking office on July 1, 2022 for a three-year term, Knobloch will succeed Pierre Lescure, who was re-elected for a third time in June 2020 and plans to step down after his term ends. Representatives of the festival's organizing committee confirmed the news in a press release and clarified that the election, as always, was by secret ballot.
Knobloch left WarnerMedia in June 2021 after 25 years in various leadership roles. Before her retirement, she oversaw strategy as well as marketing activities at WarnerMedia in France, Benelux, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. She later founded the $300 million European company with influential sponsors, including French billionaire businessman François-Henri Pinault, who runs the luxury brand Kering, the official sponsor of the Cannes Film Festival.
During her time at WarnerMedia, Knobloch played a crucial role in getting Michel Hazanavicius' film "The Artist" to Cannes in 2011. She was one of the members of that year's Oscar committee in France.