Iris Knobloch, Cannes’ First Female President, Talks Streamers, Fest Controversies: ‘Creating Debates Is One of the Festival’s Roles’
variety.comElsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Can you believe it took 75 years to nominate a woman as the president of the Cannes Film Festival?” Iris Knobloch asks, reflecting on her 2022 appointment as the fest’s top executive.
Known for her strong will, the chic, charismatic German is used to being a rare woman in power — she essayed various roles at the top of WarnerMedia in Europe for 25 years, where she cultivated relationships with such Hollywood players as Warner Bros.
Discovery consultant and former Disney chief Alan Horn, filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Todd Phillips, Amazon Studios and MGM film head Courtenay Valenti and Amazon Studios marketing chief Sue Kroll. “I love to point out that each time a woman comes into light, it’s a small step for men and a big leap for the other half of humankind,” she says.
Sitting in the festival’s Paris offices, Knobloch describes her Cannes role as the “legal and moral authority of the festival — the temple’s guardian.” She wears her confidence like perfume. “Women too often question their legitimacy and tend to censor their own ambition,” she says. “So I hope this nomination can inspire women to think big and fulfill their dreams.” It’s fitting that Knobloch’s strongest memory of the Cannes Film Festival is the 2011 world premiere of “The Artist,” Michel Hazanavicius’ black-and-white love letter to Hollywood.
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