The 69th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian director George Miller was the president of the jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and closing ceremonies. On 15 March it was announced that Japanese director Naomi Kawase would serve as the Cinéfondation and Short Film Jury president. American director Woody Allen's film Café Society opened the festival.

Laurent Lafitte is a French actor. He is known for playing the role of Patrick in Elle. In March 2016 he was named as the host of the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In 2023 he starred in the Netflix mini-series Class Act as the French businessman and politician Bernard Tapie.