Cannes to Host D-Day Film Festival Honoring Joséphine Baker and Transatlantic Heritage

This August, Cannes will once again take the spotlight—this time not for its red-carpet glamor, but for a cinematic tribute to freedom, memory, and international solidarity.

From 7 to 12 August 2025, the D-Day Edition of the Cannes Riviera International Film Festivals will transform the Cinéma Les Arcades into a crossroads of culture and commemoration. The dual festival will bring together the France USA and Africa USA film programs under one powerful theme: the enduring impact of courage and collaboration in the face of adversity. Dr. Nathalie Beasnael, who has hosted United Nations panels and other events will MC event.

Marking the anniversary of the historic Normandy landings, this special edition of the festival aims to explore the connections between cinema, shared sacrifice, and cultural diplomacy. By uniting filmmakers, scholars, and artists from across France, the United States, and Africa, the D-Day Edition offers a space for reflection and artistic engagement on themes of liberty, identity, and collective memory.

The highlight of this year’s edition is the premiere of a new biopic on Joséphine Baker, co-written by her son Brian Baker. Celebrating the centenary of her arrival in Europe, the film revisits the extraordinary life of a woman who rose from poverty in the United States to become a Parisian icon, Resistance operative, and outspoken advocate for racial justice.

The film is expected to draw international attention, not only for its intimate portrayal of Baker’s life, but also for the renewed relevance of her story at a time when global conversations about race, remembrance, and resilience are gaining new momentum.

The festival will also feature the world premiere of a new work by acclaimed African director Kola, known for his evocative storytelling and deep cultural insight. His latest film, part of the Africa USA program, offers a poetic exploration of exile and identity, set within the abandoned childhood home of Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel Prize laureate in literature. The film is being hailed as a landmark in African cinema, connecting the past with the present through a powerful visual language.

A poignant documentary will also be screened, telling the story of American WWII veterans buried in Europe and the European families who have voluntarily adopted and maintained their graves for generations. Produced in collaboration with descendants of U.S. veterans, the film captures the quiet heroism of remembrance and the bonds formed across oceans and decades.

This film serves as a thematic anchor for the D-Day Edition, reinforcing the idea that cinema can be a vessel for collective memory, bridging histories and cultures through storytelling.

Far from the flash of the Cannes Film Festival in May, the D-Day Edition offers a more introspective experience. Set in the historic Cinéma Les Arcades, the program includes intimate panels, artist dialogues, and networking opportunities in a setting designed for conversation and cultural exchange.