"But who's going to look after the children?" In 2005, socialist figure Laurent Fabius (who has always denied authorship of this phrase, which was widely reported in the press) was concerned about the childcare arrangements his political rival Ségolène Royal would choose if she decided to run in the presidential election. Although inappropriate in the context, the question does arise for many working parents, and film professionals are no exception.

Since 2019, in Cannes, the Red Balloon Alliance – named after Albert Lamorisse's short film The Red Balloon (1956) that follows a little boy's escapade through the streets of the Ménilmontant district of Paris – has been trying to provide an answer by offering festival-goers childcare for their little ones. Since then, babies and toddlers have been flocking to the Croisette in ever-increasing numbers.

Olimpia Pont Cháfer, a Berlin-based distributor of Spanish films, was the driving force behind this initiative (along with three other film professionals), looking for a concrete solution to the material difficulties that often hold back women's careers. "It concerns men too, of course, but it has to be said that the burden of caring for small children in the home still falls most often on the mother," noted the mother of two daughters, aged 11 and 8.

Directors of selected films, producers, distributors, salespeople... 4000 professionals are accredited to work on the Côte d'Azur every year, and the question of female representation is a recurring one, both on the red carpet and behind the scenes. This year, films directed by women will account for 27% of works presented, all categories combined (down four points on 2023).

"In film schools, 50% of students are women, but on the set, there are less than 25% female directors, less than 15% female cinematographers... In the same way as discrimination in hiring or obtaining funding, parenthood is one of the obstacles that professionals encounter in their careers," explained Fanny De Casimacker, general delegate of the Collectif 50/50, which works to promote "equality, parity and diversity in the film and audiovisual industries."

The idea behind The Red Balloon Alliance is simple: to open a facility that welcomes children aged six months to 12 years from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm during the two weeks of the Festival, for a reasonable fee (€100 for three days, €140 for six days, €200 for the fortnight). Children are looked after by qualified childcare professionals in an appropriate environment. At Cannes, while the stars often travel with their families and nannies, other parents have to juggle childcare arrangements (on-site or at home) to make themselves available for their professional lives which include screenings, appointments and parties.

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