Cinema For Space: Where Rockets Meet Reels

NATJA IGNEY

5 days ago

Cinema For Space, Cannes’ newly created film festival dedicated to space exploration, is on a mission to create a dialogue between science and the Seventh Art

Cannes has two distinct identities: home to the world’s most famous film festival, and host to Thales Alenia Space, one of Europe’s largest satellite assembly plants. Both reach for the stars, just in different ways. This November, the city finally brings art and science together in Cinema For Space, the first international film festival dedicated to space science and exploration.

Running 27-29 November at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, the inaugural edition brings together filmmakers, scientists, and the public for three days of screenings, award ceremonies, debates, masterclasses exploring humanity’s relationship with the cosmos. The closing ceremony on 29 November features Thomas Pesquet, France’s most celebrated astronaut, whose charisma and social media savvy have made space exploration accessible to millions whilst his missions aboard the International Space Station have contributed to crucial research. His personal history is closely linked to Cannes and its space industry since 2001, when he did an internship at Alcatel Lucent, the predecessor company of Thales Alenia.

***^{ESA-Astronaut Thomas Pesquet beim #SocialSpace 2013 / Thomas Pesquet at #SocialSpace 2013 Credit: DLR/ESA/A.Morellon (CC-BY 3.0)}***

Ten films in different formats, from features to shorts, compete alongside each other, reflecting the festival’s commitment to diverse storytelling formats and to reaching a broad audience. Between the opening night world premiere of Jessica Varley’s sci-fi horror The Astronaut on November 27 to Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 at closing on the 29th, a rich programme balances entertainment with information, and comedies with documentaries. And public and professional awards ensure both popular and critical perspectives shape the conversation.

Cinema For Space was created by acclaimed filmmaker Marc Obéron alongside “film enthusiasts who believe that movies are the best way to raise awareness, engaged citizens who believe that scientists have expertise that deserves to be heard, and dreamers and explorers who believe that understanding space better means protecting Earth better”. They argue that through its emotional power, cinema offers the most effective means of awakening public consciousness to space issues. From GPS navigation to weather forecasting, from telecommunications to medical imaging, space technology already underpins modern life in ways most people never consider.

^{Video via Festival Cinema For Space on YouTube}

The philosophy that space is not a distant concern reserved for a handful of nations or billionaire space tourists but that its exploration and research enable concrete technological advances benefitting everyone, every day permeates the programming.

Beyond the screenings, Cinema For Space therefore positions itself as a living forum, “an agora for dialogue between science, cinema, and society.” Seven Round table events feature experts capable of explaining pressing contemporary issues without resorting to jargon or oversimplification. Topics include those that rarely receive mainstream attention, such as space preservation and the proliferation of satellites in Earth’s orbit, despite their implications for everything from astronomy to climate monitoring. “Investing in space means investing for Earth”, the organizers insist, demonstrating through film how space exploration addresses terrestrial challenges, from climate monitoring to resource management.

A dedicated youth initiative introduces younger audiences to space exploration. Behind the scenes, Cinema For Space has created a two-year programme with French animation schools, designed to inspire students and renew narratives around space exploration. This educational dimension extends the festival’s impact far beyond its three-day run, potentially moving beyond tired tropes of alien invasions and solitary astronauts to explore more nuanced, scientifically grounded narratives about humanity’s cosmic future.

“It is a very great honour for the city of Cannes to welcome the driving forces of French and European space industry. The Cannes basin, which houses the headquarters and factory of Thales Alenia Space, has been a pioneering territory in the fields of aeronautics and space for nearly a century. This tradition of innovation, supported by all the inter-municipal authorities of the Cap Azur metropolitan hub, gives Cannes a driving role within this strategic sector serving France’s technological, economic and military sovereignty, which the City of Cannes supports.”

– David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes and President of the Agglomération Cannes Lérins

The festival’s location carries particular resonance. Cannes possesses deep historical ties to aerospace, dating back to 1929 when it hosted the Chantiers aéronavals Etienne Romano. Aerospace factories followed in the 1950s, and in 2007 the city welcomed Thales Alenia Space, now one of the Alpes-Maritimes’ largest private employers and home to one of Europe’s most significant satellite assembly facilities. The Cannes basin currently hosts 17 space sector companies, representing more than 2,600 jobs and combined revenues exceeding 700 million euros.

Cinema For Space runs immediately following the fourth edition of the Rencontres du Spatial, a professional gathering of major space operators, institutions, enterprises, and innovative startups held earlier on 27 November at the same venue.

Together, these two events position Cannes as a crucial node in the European space network, a place where industry expertise, scientific knowledge, and public imagination can intersect. Cinema For Space represents the public-facing dimension of this ecosystem, an attempt to democratize space discourse and ensure that conversations about humanity’s cosmic future include voices beyond engineers and executives.

***^{Courtesy Festival Cinema For Space}***

Tickets for Cinema For Space are available online. Given Thomas Pesquet’s popularity and the novelty of the festival’s concept, early booking is advisable.