Every May, the small French coastal town of Cannes becomes the world's film capital. Superyachts crowd the harbour. Security teams hustle celebrities through throngs of photographers. The Palais des Festivals transforms into the most prestigious screening venue in the world. Behind the red carpet glamour, deals worth billions take shape in hotel suites and beachside cabanas, setting the industry's course for the coming year.
The journey to the 78th Cannes Film Festival (May 13–24, 2025) has particular significance for Dubai's film enthusiasts and business elite. As Middle Eastern investment in global entertainment grows and Emirati filmmakers gain international recognition, the Dubai-Cannes connection has evolved from mere attendance to genuine influence.
From Desert to Riviera
When the festival begins, Nice Côte d'Azur Airport fills with private jets, creating a scene reminiscent of a luxury automotive showcase rather than a typical arrivals terminal. The 6-hour flight from Dubai to Nice has evolved into something of a moving VIP lounge, with several operators offering specialised festival packages.
Dubai-based Jetex runs the most comprehensive Cannes service, flying from their sleek VIP Terminal at Al Maktoum International. Their Gulfstream G650s arrive festival-ready with dedicated immigration officers handling paperwork while guests enjoy champagne in the lounge. Drivers familiar with every back route avoid Cannes' notorious traffic jams. Some luxury packages reportedly include pre-arranged accreditation collection, allowing guests to skip standard queues.
VistaJet brings a distinctly cinematic approach to their Dubai-Cannes route this year. VistaJet has been known to offer curated cinematic experiences, including film previews with studio permission, while passengers sip champagne from vineyards owned by French directors with films in competition. Their distinctive red-tailed jets have become status symbols when lined up on Nice's tarmac.
Large aircraft chartered by production teams, including Royal Jet’s Boeing Business Jets, allow teams to maximise travel time for working sessions. Dubai-based studios typically use the flight time as working sessions to review marketing materials or finalise festival pitches. Landing in Nice means they've effectively gained a full workday.
Accommodation and Access
Ask Cannes veterans about the festival's greatest challenge, and hotels inevitably top the list. The city's limited luxury inventory gets booked a year in advance, creating headaches even for seasoned attendees.
Creative solutions have emerged among Dubai's festival-goers. Emirates Palace, operated by Jumeirah, maintains a little-publicised arrangement with Hotel Martinez (one of Cannes' palace hotels). Top suite guests receive access to a limited allocation of Martinez rooms with Croisette views. The true luxury lies not just in the rooms but in service continuity – an Emirates Palace butler coordinates with a Martinez counterpart before arrival, ensuring preferences transfer seamlessly.
The most savvy attendees often bypass hotels completely. Spectacular villas dot the hills above Cannes, offering both luxury and privacy. Several Dubai-based clients opt for these private estates, some equipped with helicopter pads for quicker access to the Palais. One film financier has secured the same Cap d'Antibes property for eight consecutive festivals, preferring its discretion and space to even the finest hotel suites.
Beyond accommodation, festival access itself remains the most valuable Cannes commodity. The event's byzantine accreditation system confounds even industry insiders with coloured badges denoting highly specific access levels.
Dubai's flourishing film industry has opened new pathways here. The Dubai Film and TV Commission now wields sufficient influence to secure priority accreditation for key industry players from the emirate. UAE production companies have secured coveted market pavilion positions where they showcase upcoming projects to international distributors.
The Festival After Hours
Cannes' legendary parties and events often rival the official screenings in importance to Dubai's festival-goers. The most exclusive gathering – the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Gala at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc – commands table prices starting at €250,000. Dubai luxury retailer Chalhoub Group has secured a premium position for 2025, offering select clients access through their VIP shopping programme. Added styling services with top fashion houses help guests navigate the event's notoriously exacting dress code.
Dubai clients' growing presence at Cannes has not gone unnoticed by LVMH, whose invite-only La Croisette Experience offers select guests a private showcase aboard their mega-yacht, featuring rare wines and limited-edition high jewellery collections not available in regular boutiques.
Automotive experiences have evolved beyond basic transportation. Ferrari's "Riviera Drive" programme hands Dubai clients the keys to their latest models along with curated routes through the hills above Cannes. These journeys are carefully timed to avoid festival traffic while hitting the coast's most photogenic spots.
The Market Behind the Movies
While celebrities dominate media coverage, industry insiders know the real action happens at the Marché du Film, where worldwide distribution rights change hands during marathon negotiation sessions. Dubai has steadily increased its presence in this crucial commercial space.
The Dubai Film Market pavilion has tripled in size over five years, now occupying prime position along the Riviera section of the festival grounds. Inside, Emirati producers pitch co-production opportunities while highlighting the emirate's production facilities and generous filming incentives. Daily panels examine collaboration possibilities between Middle Eastern investors and international creators, focusing on stories that resonate across cultural markets.
Banks like Emirates NBD and Falcon Private Bank often maintain a presence at major international events, assisting clients with film-related investments and private financing. Private screenings allow clients to assess investment opportunities away from the market's public viewings.
The New Wave
Middle Eastern cinema reaches a turning point at the 2025 festival. Several Emirati productions have secured coveted screening slots, including The Plague, a debut feature from UAE-based production company Image Nation, selected for the Un Certain Regard section and directed by Charlie Polinger. Another standout is Three, directed by Emirati filmmaker Nayla Al Khaja, screening as part of the festival’s industry programme following its success on the international circuit.
Saudi Arabia's emergence as a production centre has also generated fresh interest in the region's filmmaking, with multiple Saudi-backed projects represented at this year’s Marché du Film and select shorts included in parallel sections. Together, these developments reflect a growing appetite for stories rooted in the Gulf, both from regional creators and international audiences.
Daily masterclasses at the UAE Pavilion bring established filmmakers together to explore co-production opportunities. Technical presentations showcase Dubai's expanding studio infrastructure, highlighting how the city's architectural diversity lends itself to a range of cinematic genres — from futuristic sci-fi to traditional period settings.
Navigating Cannes
First-time visitors from Dubai quickly learn that insider knowledge makes all the difference between struggling and thriving at the festival.
Timing is a crucial factor. The festival's rhythm reveals itself to veterans – opening weekend brings maximum star power but overwhelming crowds; mid-week offers the best balance of access and energy; closing weekend provides better screening availability but fewer networking opportunities. Dubai regulars typically arrive on day three, when initial chaos subsides but energy remains high.
Intensified security protocols in recent years have created complex requirements at different venues. International Gulf Security, maintaining offices in both Dubai and Cannes, has become the preferred firm for high-profile attendees. Their services cover everything from secure transportation to advanced venue checks, ensuring smooth entry even at the most tightly controlled events.
Financial considerations require special attention. Despite its glamorous image, Cannes still operates on cash for many transactions. Emirates NBD's festival concierge service offers elegant solutions, including reserved appointments at partner French banks and dedicated exchange services with preferential rates.
Social currency ultimately proves more valuable than financial resources. Dubai's festival veterans emphasise relationship-building over transaction-focused networking. The most valuable Cannes connections typically develop across multiple festivals rather than through aggressive conference-style meetings.
Two Worlds, Converging
Each year, the connection between Dubai and Cannes grows stronger. Luxury brands have embraced this cultural confluence. Bulgari's "Between Two Seas" collection launches simultaneously at their Cannes and Dubai boutiques, featuring jewellery inspired by both Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf aesthetics. Jumeirah Group has developed paired experiences between their Cannes and Dubai properties, allowing guests to extend the festival atmosphere through coordinated stays.
This connection extends to private aviation. Jetex's passenger lounges now incorporate design elements from both destinations, creating environments that ease the transition between these distinct worlds.
The relationship flows both ways. French directors regularly attend Dubai's film festival, seeking funding and co-production opportunities. Producers who initially connected at Cannes develop projects filming in both locations, capitalising on the visual contrast between Mediterranean and Gulf environments.
Cannes represents both inspiration and opportunity for Dubai's film community – a chance to participate in cinema's grandest tradition while helping shape its future. Luxury travellers from the emirate discover an experience that technology simply cannot replicate: the irreplaceable magic of being physically present where cultural history unfolds.
Dubai's presence will permeate every aspect of the festival when the red carpet rolls out this May – from competition films to market deals, from harbour yachts to hillside villas. The journey from Dubai to Cannes bridges more than geographical distance; it connects two worlds that share an appreciation for excellence, an eye for opportunity, and an understanding that in Cannes, presence still matters more than pixels.
