Marie Gicquel / Photo credit: John Phillips / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP 11:12am, May 26, 2023

This Saturday ends the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The opportunity to discover the winners of the jury as well as the film that won the long-awaited Palme d'Or. A more than symbolic reward in the seventh art. Europe 1 looks back at the history of the Palme d'Or.

Soon the end clap on the Croisette: the Cannes Film Festival ends this Saturday. But before repacking the red carpet, the jury must still see two films in competition this Friday. Tomorrow night, we will know who wins the Palme d'Or of this 76th festival. But why is a Palme d'Or awarded to the winner?

A palm of 118 grams and 18 carats

The Palme d'Or is not the festival's historic trophy. When it was created in 1946, the winners were awarded works by artists. Eight years later, the festival chose as a reward the symbol of the city of Cannes: the palm, in reference to the many palm trees that line the Boulevard de la Croisette. A palm whose stem ends in the heart, finely carved by hand each year in the workshops of the Swiss jeweler Chopard. 118 grams, 18 carats frozen on a block of crystal. Estimated price: 20.000 €.

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Two fins are designed in case of a tie or accident, hidden and monitored by two agents until the evening of the announcement of the winners. The winner leaves with the precious prize and worldwide recognition of the seventh art.