A New Tradition in Cannes
The inaugural Colour of Cannes Honours, a Marche du Film summit, creating access,
opportunity and recognition for filmmakers of color launched on May 14, 2026.
Next edition: May 13, 2027
The Inaugural Edition
Inspired by the groundbreaking legacy of Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte's "Carmen Jones" exactly 70 years earlier.
Anchored within the Marché du Film at the Festival de Cannes, Colour of Cannes Honours, co‑founded by filmmaker and Coffee Bluff Pictures Founder/CEO Deborah Riley Draper and global strategist and entrepreneur Tiara Chesmer‑Williams, creates intentional space for filmmakers of colour and underrepresented voices at the heart of the industry, providing a platform for access, opportunity, visibility, and recognition.
Making History
The Colour of Cannes Honours along with its incubating partner Coffee Bluff Pictures are the first and only African-American, Women-owned companies to join the Marche du Film as programming partners.
More than 300 filmmakers, executives, and cultural leaders convened at the Marché du Film’s official beachside venue, La Plage des Palmes, for the inaugural Colour of Cannes Honours, hosted by Grammy‑nominated singer and actress Estelle.
Attendees were immersed from the cocktail reception to recognizing award-winning producer Crystine Zhang with our 2026 Vanguard Award. Following the Honors, Deadline reporter Zach Ntim chatted with Zhang to gain insight into her success. The afternoon wrapped with a panel, “The Business of Culture‑Forward Storytelling and the Indie Filmmaker,” moderated by Essence editor‑at‑large Mikki Taylor, including entertainment law partner Marcie Cleary, SAGindie executive director Darrien Michele Gipson, founder and investor Valerie Mosley, and Autlook Filmsales CEO Stephanie Fuchs. The audience gained tangible and actionable information around distribution, sales, financing, talent and legal.
Supporting the storytellers who will shape what's next
Support the Colour of Cannes Honours
The Colour of Cannes Honours is dedicated to supporting filmmakers of colour in their pursuit of opportunity, access, visibility, and ownership. Each charitable gift expands our footprint at the Marché du Film at the Festival de Cannes and fuels year-round programming and partnerships across the globe.
The Colour of Cannes Honours is fiscally sponsored by the leading 501(c)(3) Southern Documentary Fund, and your charitable gift is tax-deductible. Click here to make a contribution in support of culture-forward storytelling and the storytellers who make it possible.
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