After studying law, Iris Knobloch spent 25 years at Warner Bros. She has lived in several countries and had to assert herself in a male-dominated professional world. President of the Cannes Film Festival since 2022, the strong-willed woman born in Germany welcomed us into her bright Paris office before setting off to the Croisette, the major street in Cannes known for the film festival. At age 62, smiling and approachable, she pays tribute to her parents, Holocaust survivors, who instilled in her the joy of living.

I wouldn't be where I am today if...

...If I hadn't embarked on the adventure of The Artist while I was at Warner. The crazy gamble of supporting this film gave me confidence in my judgment and instincts.

Why this film in particular?

Because, on paper, it had little chance of success. No one could have predicted the success it achieved. For the producer, Thomas Langmann, this film was not easy to make. He had no script or dialogue because the film is silent. He only had a simple note of intent, it was almost impossible to imagine it. One day, he offered to show me a test screening of the dance scene between Bérénice Bejo and Jean Dujardin.

This magical moment deeply touched me. I said to myself, "Wow, how beautiful!" That evening, I tried to reason with myself: "Iris, you can't get involved in a project you know little about just because you feel a strong emotion, don't get carried away. Sleep on it and see how you feel tomorrow." The next day, I still had the same feeling of having witnessed something extraordinary. I believed in it, even if I had very little information about the film. I had to support it.

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