Cannes Film Festival Responds to Online Ticketing Issues

variety.com:

Ellise Shafer Cannes Film Festival has responded to complaints over the online press ticketing system, saying that the fest is currently working to resolve the issue.“The technical difficulties met this morning on the online ticketing service are very likely due to acts aimed at saturating the site with ticket requests, thus preventing festival-goers from accessing it,” Cannes’ official statement reads. “We are currently working on fixing the problem.”Many journalists and critics took to Twitter this morning to express their frustration at the ticketing site, which was not allowing them to access badges or book tickets for screenings.“It’s fair to say the Cannes online ticketing system is a shambles wrapped inside a clusterfuck wrapped inside an enigma,” critic Martyn Conterio wrote on Twitter.

Others, like journalist Jack King, turned to memes to convey their thoughts. Still can’t get past the Cannes ticketing login page pic.twitter.com/lJzC132MtA— Jack King (@jackarking) May 16, 2022In the meantime, the festival has set up a separate ticketing site for press only in order to make booking more accessible to journalists.

That link can be accessed here.Cannes, which officially begins programming Tuesday, has also faced claims that the festival is attempting to censor the press.

During a press conference on Monday, festival chief Thierry Fremaux confirmed that he has asked publications to revise his quotes, but called it a “French tradition” that is “not a big deal.”“There isn’t self-censorship and even less censorship,” Fremaux said.