Sarah Reese reports directly from the red carpet in Cannes, as she fulfils a childhood dream of being at this prestigious film festival.
A fortnight ago the French town of Cannes rolled out the red carpet for its sixty-fourth annual international film festival.
Aaaah…. The world had once again been gifted with the chef-d’oeuvre of all cultural events. In this little slice of the French Riviera you’ve got everything; the sea, the sun, the sand, and stars which certainly shine brightly. (Especially Robert de Niro, what a legend. And Jude Law. Although I still haven’t quite forgiven him for the whole nanny fiasco!)
In the midst of all the excitement, an aspiring young filmmaker (me) arrives for a crucial week of ‘networking opportunities.’ I was not disappointed. Cannes was everything I had always dreamed it would be – a true celebration of not just movies, but the art of collaborating with others to achieve something you are proud of. And what a perfect way to kick-start the festival with no other than Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris!
Fans go wild for the likes of Jude Law, Robert de Niro and Umu Thurman
Woody Allen is arguably the only living director who still manages to make one feature film per year – for those of you who are not ‘up’ with it in the film industry…that is HUGE. And he’s seventy-five! I don’t care whether you love him or hate him; Woody continues to make films that are celebrations of small snippets of our lives. When going to a Woody Allen film I don’t expect anything else but to be entertained; none of this pretentious arty stuff, just pure cinematic magic. Midnight in Paris, in all its frothy sweetness, is a film about you and me in the search for inspiration and love in our lives, and in this case, the film appropriately finds it on the banks of the Seine River. (Dreamy sigh.) Even the red carpet of this new Allen flick was a celebration! The film’s stars Owen Wilson (and his nose), Oscar-winner Adrien Brody, Michael Sheen and the ridiculously glorious Rachel McAdams were welcomed onto the red carpet to a jazzed-up version of Edith Piaf’s classic ‘La Vie en Rose,’ followed closely by Cole Porter’s croony ‘You Mean Something to Me’ which is impeccably integrated into the film. (Moment of reflection: Cole Porter, what a genius….)
I don’t know whether it was the horrific blisters burning holes through my heels or my new dose of sunburn, but I started to get all…emotional watching this all. I kid you not. Here I was, a mere spectator on the side-line watching cinema history unfold, watching my idols celebrate their achievements, and reflecting on the joys and hardships of film-making. It was the music, the red carpet, the Marchesa gowns, the flashes of the paparazzi; the whole atmosphere which said, “We’re here as one.” And in our thousands, we were. I know that sounds a bit lame and everything, but I felt like I was part of a film-making pilgrimage, and felt utterly revived by it.
Paparazzi camp out for hours to get the perfect glimpse of their camera candy!
Of course, Woody and his team weren’t the only ones to hit the sacred red carpet. The following night Cannes presented another true celebration of cinema – the premiere of the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. During the beats of Hans Zimmer’s iconic soundtrack, not only did we get to see Captain Jack Sparrow in person, but also the breath-takingly beautiful Penélope Cruz (in the most stunning, yet preposterously unpractical dress) and the not-so-beautiful, but equally talented, Geoffrey Rush. Although, not everyone was as ecstatic as I was to be seeing these cinematic icons in real-life… two old ladies interviewed for the news that night said they were disappointed they didn’t get to see Angela Jolie and Brad Petit. (Close….!)
As the countdown to Sunday’s grand prize-giving ceremony begins, it almost seems immaterial to name a winner. You see, this festival is about more than just winning and losing, it’s a festival which quite simply honors and appreciates true dedication to the art of film-making. From the animated Kung Fu Panda 2 to Terence Malick’s much-awaited The Tree of Life (starring Brad Petit himself), there’s something there for everyone at Cannes – it’s just waiting to be discovered!
The 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival runs from 11 – 22 May 2011.
For more information visit its official website.
Check out the latest red carpet arrivals .
Similarly, if you fancy a laugh, check out the comical summary of each day’s events at Le Petit Journal (of which most of it is in French sorry…)
Everything is ready and waiting for the beautiful people to arrive - off La Croisette.
Sarah – Wow – congratulations, and so happy for you, that you have been to the Cannes Film Festival – it’s true when they say anything possible, you just have to make it happen.
I followed it on the internet, and I am very interested in
Brad Pitt’s ( Petit) new movie, The Tree of Life – have read
the jist of the story – sounds excellent – Did you see Sean Penn? So best of luck, soak up the atmosphere, and continue to enjoy every moment.
Rose & Vic.
What a great event! The holy grail of aspiring film makers? The atmosphere must have been fantastic.
(As for Geoffrey Rush — he may not be handsome but he’s still working, which is really something. I love how many Aussies are strutting their stuff in Hollywood at the moment.)
Such contagious enthusiasm!!
I read some of the Cannes news reports this week and they sounded so exciting… I’d go for the music, I know Kanye West and Lady Gaga performed.
What a fun experience. I also enjoy a Woody Allen film. It is amazing how many he can produce.
What a great opportunity to cover this event! I definitely don’t know much about the film industry but this was a fascinating inside look at one of the most famous film festivals in the world!
What an incredible experience, Cannes is also home to the international advertising awards and I have always wanted to go.
Wow John, that sounds like it was a great opportunity! Awesome to read about your inspiration throughout this film pilgrimage!
Fabulous event, fabulous opportunity, all the enthusiasm shines through. That’s the kind of post I really and truly enjoy reading.
Cannes is such fun. And this post was equally fun to read. Sounds like you had a fab time, Sarah.
Merci à tous for your comments! Cannes is truly a magnificent corner of the world, and a fantastic way to celebrate the industry we so love. I can also definitely report that Jude Law is just as good-looking in real life as he is on the glossy pages of Vanity Fair!!
This is one of my dreams too- Being an actor and living in L.A. we see celebrities a lot and movie premieres, but Cannes is just so iconic and Woody Allen, too- dream come true!
What a buzz it must be to be there during the festival! I’ve been to Cannes once in June and tried to imagine what it would have been like… you’re so lucky to have this experience!
One of my friends is in the entertainment industry and she gets to go to the next Cannes market – I am SO jealous!! I’m glad she’ll have the opportunity, though, just like I’m glad you got yours – it must have been unreal! Maybe one day I’ll be there. 😉
~Sara