John Lennon and Yoko Ono Hold a Press Conference in Cannes – 16 May 1971
Sunday 16 May 1971 | John Lennon, Press Conference
Cannes, France
On 16 May 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held a press conference in Cannes, France, following further screenings of their films Fly and Apotheosis at La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs — the independent directors' showcase running alongside the main Cannes Film Festival. The films had premiered at the Quinzaine the previous day. After the screenings, Lennon and Ono gave informal interviews to reporters before the formal press conference, held in the sunshine with Lennon wearing a white YOKO ONO t-shirt. The evening ended with a screening of Fernando Arrabal's Viva la Muerte and dinner at Felix, a restaurant on the Cannes promenade.
La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs — the Directors' Fortnight — was established in 1969 as an independent parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival, created in the aftermath of the events of May 1968 by directors who wanted a showcase free from the commercial and political pressures of the main competition. By 1971 it had established itself as the festival's most adventurous strand, programming experimental, political, and avant-garde work that would not have found a place in the official selection.
The inclusion of Lennon and Ono's films in the Quinzaine was a mark of the section's openness to work from outside the conventional film world. Both Fly and Apotheosis were firmly in the tradition of avant-garde film-making that Ono had been associated with since the early 1960s, and their presence at Cannes — even in the parallel section — gave them a visibility and legitimacy that a gallery or art-house screening alone could not have provided.
Fly and Apotheosis
Fly (1970) was a 25-minute film directed by Yoko Ono, in which a fly moves across the body of a naked woman while Ono's voice provides an improvised soundtrack. It was one of Ono's most discussed works — simultaneously clinical and sensual, and characteristic of her interest in duration, the body, and the relationship between observer and observed.
Apotheosis (1970), also known as Balloon, was co-directed by Lennon and Ono. The film follows a hot-air balloon ascending from a snowy English field, rising through cloud cover into clear blue sky above — a sustained, meditative ascent that lasts around 20 minutes. The film had been shot in Lavenham, Suffolk, in December 1969. Its imagery — the slow escape from grey English weather into light — was read by many critics as a metaphor for transcendence, though Lennon and Ono were characteristically resistant to fixed interpretations.
The Press Conference
The press conference was held outdoors in the Cannes sunshine — a setting that suited the informal, accessible image Lennon and Ono cultivated in their public appearances. Lennon's choice of a white YOKO ONO t-shirt was a deliberate statement: a public endorsement of his partner's artistic identity at a moment when Ono's work was being shown in one of the world's most prominent film contexts.
The informal interviews that preceded the press conference covered the films, the couple's broader artistic practice, and the political concerns — peace, Vietnam, civil rights — that had dominated their public work since 1969. By 1971, Lennon and Ono were among the most politically visible artists in the world, and any press appearance was as much a platform for their activism as for their art.
Viva la Muerte and Dinner at Felix
The evening concluded with a screening of Viva la Muerte (1971), the debut feature film by Spanish playwright and director Fernando Arrabal. The film — a surrealist, autobiographical work dealing with the Spanish Civil War, childhood trauma, and political violence — was one of the most controversial films at Cannes that year. Arrabal was a founder of the Panic Movement, an avant-garde artistic collective, and his work shared with Lennon and Ono's films an interest in transgression, the body, and the limits of conventional representation.
After the screening, Lennon and Ono dined at Felix, a restaurant on the Cannes promenade — a quiet end to a day that had moved from film screenings to press conferences to one of the festival's most provocative films.
May 1971: Imagine on the Horizon
The Cannes visit took place during one of the most creatively productive periods of Lennon's post-Beatles career. Recording sessions for Imagine had taken place at Tittenhurst Park in May and June 1971, and the album would be released in September. The title track — Lennon's most enduring solo composition — was already recorded by the time of the Cannes trip. The Imagine film, a long-form promotional work directed by Lennon and Ono, was also in production.
Key Facts: 16 May 1971
- Location: Cannes, France
- Event: Press conference and film screenings
- Films shown: Fly (dir. Yoko Ono, 1970) and Apotheosis (dir. Lennon & Ono, 1970)
- Premiered: La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, 15 May 1971
- Press conference: Held outdoors; Lennon wore white YOKO ONO t-shirt
- Evening screening: Viva la Muerte (dir. Fernando Arrabal, 1971)
- Dinner: Felix restaurant, Cannes promenade
- Apotheosis filmed: Lavenham, Suffolk, December 1969
- Imagine album: Released September 1971 (sessions ongoing at this time)
Frequently Asked Questions
What films did Lennon and Ono show at Cannes in 1971?
Fly (1970), directed by Yoko Ono, and Apotheosis (1970), co-directed by Lennon and Ono. Both were shown at La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, the independent directors' showcase running alongside the main Cannes Film Festival.
What is La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs?
La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (the Directors' Fortnight) is an independent parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival, established in 1969 to programme experimental and avant-garde work outside the main competition.
What is the film Apotheosis about?
Apotheosis (also known as Balloon) follows a hot-air balloon ascending from a snowy English field through cloud cover into clear blue sky. It was filmed in Lavenham, Suffolk, in December 1969 and runs approximately 20 minutes.
What was Viva la Muerte?
Viva la Muerte (1971) was the debut feature film of Spanish director Fernando Arrabal — a surrealist, autobiographical work dealing with the Spanish Civil War and childhood trauma, and one of the most controversial films at Cannes that year.
What was John Lennon working on in May 1971?
Recording sessions for the Imagine album were taking place at Tittenhurst Park in May and June 1971. The album, including the title track, was released in September 1971.
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