Cannes’ Marché du Film, the world’s biggest film market, is set to change leadership in 2023 with its long-time, charismatic executive director Jerome Paillard due to exit after this year’s edition.
Guillaume Esmiol has been named co-executive director for this edition and will fully take over in 2023. Esmiol joined the Marché du Film in 2020 to spearhead the development. The tech savvy executive helped transform the market into a hybrid event.
Esmiol was previously head of innovation at TF1 Group and head of marketing for the startup studio Wefound, where he acquired skills in digital and media.
Variety understands that Paillard is planning to retire and focus on his favorite hobby which is flying, and is expected to continue having a presence at festivals around the world, on juries for instance. An industry veteran, Paillard joined the Cannes Film Festival, a private institution, back in 1995 and has bolstered the global outreach of the Marché du Film thanks to its deep-entrenched ties with industry players globally. The executive also launched the Ventana Sur film market in Argentina.
Meanwhile, the Cannes Film Festival, which will celebrate its 75th edition this year, is also due to change its presidency in the next couple years as Pierre Lescure’s third term ends in 2023.
Over at Directors Fortnight, which runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival, the artistic director Paolo Moretti will be stepping down after this upcoming edition. The sidebar’s governing body, the SRF (French directors guild), said the shakeup is part of its ambition to revamp Directors Fortnight starting in 2023.
The 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is still scheduled to take place May 17-28, roughly three weeks after France’s presidential election.