Who is Iris Knobloch? Former WarnerMedia boss appointed as first female president of Cannes Film Festival

Iris Knobloch, former boss of WarnerMedia France and Germany, has made history by being elected as the first-ever female president of the Cannes Film Festival. She will officially take up the position on July 1 for a three-year term.

Knobloch will be succeeding current Cannes President Pierre Lescure, who was re-elected for the third time in 2020 and currently plans on stepping down after this year’s festival in May.

The announcement was made via a press release and the official Twitter page of the festival, according to which, Knobloch was elected via a secret ballot by the board of directors of the Association Française du Festival International du Film.

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Knobloch was one of the members of the 2022 Oscar committee in France

Iris Knobloch (Image via Getty Images)

The German-born, Paris-based executive quit WarnerMedia in June 2021 after 25 years of overseeing strategy, commercial and group marketing activities for WarnerMedia France, Germany, Benelux, Switzerland and Austria.

Last year, she launched a €250 million ($300 million) European special-purpose acquisition company with the help of backers like Francois-Henri Pinault, a French billionaire businessman. Pinault is also the boss of the luxury brand Kering, which happens to be an official sponsor of the Cannes Film Festival.

Knobloch played a key role in securing a slot for Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist in the Cannes competition in 2011 before it won five Oscars. Knobloch was one of the members of the 2022 Oscar committee in France, alongside Thierry Fremaux, the director of the Cannes Film Festival.

While Fremaux will continue supervising discussions with filmmakers and international players, and all creative decisions, it is believed that Knobloch, a former U.S. studio executive, stepping in "could help lure more Americans to premiere their films on the Croisette."

Ahead of her election, some in the French film industry highlighted a possible conflict of interest with Knobloch having an influential position in Cannes while running an entertainment company.

However, an industry source later noted that Knobloch's acquisition company will not be investing in any film-related assets with any possible connection to Cannes, while she holds a position of authority in it.

Knobloch not being a French national has also caused quite a lot of stir in the industry. Some people pointed out that her appointment was made possible by high-profile figures connected to the French government.

The Official Selection of the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will be announced on April 14.