Cannes or Bust » Cannes festival

A personal selection of upcoming events at Cannes 2010

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:24:04 +0000

People come to Cannes for different reasons. Unless you’re “just hanging”, you want to meet people and pick up leads and tips at Cannes. So outside of meetings I have a tendency to check out the receptions, conferences and networking events. The American Pavilion, Kodak and UK Film Centre have great conference programmes.

Over the coming days, here are some other events you might want to catch:

Digital LA cocktails, Fri 14, 4-6pm at the Caffé Roma
EU’s Observatoire de l’Audiovisuel launches new version of Korda database of public funding for movies May 15, Riviera stand A6
“Happy Sake Hour” at the Japan Pavilion, Saturday May 15, 3-6pm. Booth No: 141 (Village International)
New Irish Cinema Reception Rado Plage La Croisette beach between Carlton and Martinez Sunday, May 16 from 5.30
‘What Next for Microbudget Movies?’ Monday 17 May, 3.00-4.00 pm at the UK Film Centre
Networking event organised by VPV at the Brasserie du Casino May 18 at 11am
Krzysztof Kieslowski ScripTeast Award to be presented on Wednesday, May 19 at Plage des Palmes. 5pm.

If you have any events worth tipping, please fee free to drop a note below. More tips will be posted on the Twitter account as they are announced.

The photo is from “”Mr Nice”, the true story of Howard Marks, showing at the Star 6pm Friday 14 and 5.30 on Sunday 16. Contact Independent Film Company.

Cannes parties: where to go in 2010

admin — Mon, 10 May 2010 07:16:52 +0000

Cannes party (c) Abd Rabbo

The party scene in Cannes is a whole side-business of its own. Initially what was intended as a way of giving a film a boost has become a highly-regulated industry run by professionals from the nightlife and fashion sectors. The parties have been scaled down considerably in recent years, with events in nightclubs or on the beach replacing the more extravagant splashes in villas on the hills. Something else that has changed is access to information. Lists used to be jealously guarded, but now people like me are willing to spill the beans on websites! So where to go in 2010?

Which Cannes parties in 2010?

For the moment, the two best lists I’ve found are Germain Pire’s spreadsheet and this Facebook page. The other way to get inside information is to hook up with a good publicist. They try and shepherd their talent to the right locations and therefore receive invitations to the more high-profile parties (the Weinstein party and Naomi Campbell’s 40th birthday spring to mind).

But if you don’t have the right connections, you can often buy your way in (this is Cannes, after all). Tickets to the opening night party are being sold for prices topping €700, with events at the Eden Roc going for €2000. But people in the business are well-advised to keep an eye on the day time receptions that are held in the Palais and International Village. They are often a great way to make connections. They are far more low-key, but if you’re trying to raise financing or get distribution in Japan, you need to have your wits about you. Plus, the drinks are usually on the house! Incidentally, my tip of the day is always to stay one drink behind the person you’re talking to.

For details about the latest parties, receptions and networking events, follow me on Twitter. If you have an event you want to promote, drop a message below.

The photo of a party at the 3.14 hotel was taken by Abd Rabbo.

Open-air screening programme at Cannes 2010

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 06:10:50 +0000

The aptly-named Cinéma de la Plage is a great way to catch movies in Cannes. The public beach beside the Palais is used to show a selection of classics or Cannes-related movies. The news in 2010 is that they will also be showing some premiers (of restored films). In previous years, tickets had to obtained from the tourist office. This year the event is billed as “free and open to the public”. Some films will be introduced (Mme Cousteau will be present at the screening of The Silent World) and at least one concert is foreseen. Films start at 9.30pm. Our tip is to get their on time and to bring a blanket in case it gets chilly.

PROGRAMME

Thursday May 13^th at 9:30pm

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY by Fred Zinnemann (1953, USA, 119’).
Digital restoration by Grover Crisp, Sony Pictures Film Preservation

Friday May 14^th at 9:30pm

THE 2 ESCOBARS
A documentary by Jeff Zimbalist et Michael Zimbalist (2010, USA, 90’). World premier with the directors in attendance.

Saturday May 15^th at 9:30pm

THE NIGHT OF VARENNES by Ettore Scola (1982, Italy-France 150’). World premier of the restauration produced by Gaumont.

Sunday May 16^th at 9:30pm

HOLLYWOOD DON’T SURF a documentary by Greg MacGillivray et Sam George (2010, USA, 81’). World premiere with the directors in attendance.

Monday May 17^th at 9:30pm

LA MEUTE a film by Franck Richard (2010, Belgium-France, 85’) with Emilie Dequenne, Yolande Moreau, Benjamin Biolay, Philippe Nahon.

Tuesday May 18^th at 9:30pm

Screening to be announced

Wednesday May 19^th at 9:30pm

WOMEN ARE HEROES a documentary by JR (2010, 80’, France). Screening in collaboration with the Critic’s Week.

Thursday May 20^th at 9:30pm

THE GIRL HUNTERS by Roy Rowland (1963, USA, 98’). New print, World premier.

Friday May 21^st at 9 :30pm

ROCK ‘N ROLL… OF CORSE ! a documentary by Lionel Guedj et Stéphane Bébert (2010, France, 90’) – A World premier with the directors and Henry Padovani in attendance. There will be a concert on the stage before the screening.

Saturday 22^nd May at 9:30pm

LE MONDE DU SILENCE (The Silent World) a film by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle (1956, France, 86’). A digital restoration by TF1 Video, Europe Images International. Mrs. Cousteau will attend the screening.

Why should I get accreditation at the Cannes Film Market?

admin — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:15:12 +0000

Cannes is fun. So each year, people turn up at the festival “to see”. The unspoken hope is that they will meet someone and get something going. A major – perhaps the most important – part of the Festival is in fact the Marché du Film. The entrance fee is about €400/$500. You’re paying to go to Cannes already. Everyone is there. So is it worth paying the extra money to access the Market?

Let’s be clear: going to Cannes without going to the market is like going to Paris and staying locked in a hotel room. Great views maybe, but what can you do? In the same way, just hanging around Cannes is not a business plan, unless you know so many people that you bump into them anyway. It’d be a frustrating holiday as you won’t have access to so many things (including even access to some of the hotel lobbies!).

If you’re planning a trip to Cannes, you must have an idea of what you want. Set priorities. Are you looking for distribution? Or contacts for future productions? Or are sales agents the way forward? Then use the Cinando.com database to find the contacts you need and try and get appointments.

Having said that, many people will be booked out over the first five days. If you left it too late, you might have better luck later in the week. But be aware that many people only stay for three to four days and pack in meeting upon meeting.

What about the price? $500 is nothing on the scale of things. What is the budget for your upcoming film? How much did you pay for flights to Cannes? By way of comparison, you’d pay over €1000 to get into Mipcom or MipTV. The Market badge also gives you access to screenings. Basically, you can check out loads of similar movies to rate the competition or see the sort of material that a specific distributor or sales agent is involved in.

Personally, I rarely catch screenings. You can catch up with movies later (or – yegads – online). You have to get out and meet people and attend conferences. If you only manage to get one or two meetings per day, either ask yourself if you really need to go this year or get the programme of events at the UK and American pavilions and catch the conferences and networking sessions. The EU’s Media programme and Observatoire de l’Audiovisuel also organise events that are definitely worth catching. Lastly, don’t forget to follow Cannes or Bust on Twitter for daily updates!

Feel free to make comments or forward this page to someone you know. I deal with specific aspects of travelling to Cannes on the rest of the site. First time in Cannes? Then you should check First time in Cannes, our tips for a first visit to Cannes for Midem or the film festival. Keep up to date using the RSS feed, follow me on Twitter.com or why not get Cannes news straight to your mailbox. I cover Cannes, music and movie biz news.

Update: hotel accommodation central Cannes during the festival

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:16:03 +0000

People have been booking for the festival late this year. But there comes a time when decisions have to be taken! So accommodation is now filling up, particularly in the centre of Cannes and the Croisette area.

Here are our hotel tips for the Cannes Film festival. We’ve chosen central hotels within walking distance of the Croisette. There are other availabilities, either further down the Croisette or in outlying Cannes La Bocca and Juan-les-Pins. Check availability in our search engine at right >>.

Anna Livia (1 room, very central). C
Cavendish: 7-10 min walk to the Palais (2 rooms)
Cezanne: 10 min walk, (2 rooms)
Cannes Croisette Prestige residence: 5 min walk to Croisette (several rooms)
Eden Hotel: 5 min walk (on Rue d’Antibes!). Listed as 4-star, I’d say 3-star (photo).

If you are travelling with two or more people, it might be worth considering a studio or apartment.

Official selection of the Cannes film festival 2010

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:38:34 +0000

The official selection of the Cannes Film Festival 2010 was announced in Paris on April 15.

The selection is a combination of pure auteur works, with a smattering of celebrity. The latter includes the out of competition premiere of Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” starring Russell Crowe. This is the third Cannes appearance for Scott, whose stunning “Thelma & Louise” also screened out of competition in 1994. Scott and Crowe worked together on “Gladiator”.

Mike Leigh, Abbas Kiarostami and Takeshi Kitano are among the people contending for the Palme d’Or, alongside Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, one of the few African directors.

Click through for the full line-up.

Competition

Another Year – Mike Leigh
Biutiful – Alejandro González Inárritu
Hors-la-loi – Rachid Bouchareb
La princesse de Montpensier – Bertrand Tavernier
Poetry – Lee Chang-dong
The housemaid – Im Sang-soo
Outrage – Takeshi Kitano
Copie conforme – Abbas Kiarostami
Tournée – Matthieu Amalric
Uncle Boonmee – Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Des hommes et des dieux – Xavier Beauvois -
La nostra vita – Daniele Luchetti
Un homme qui crie – Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
You: My Joy – Sergei Loznitsa
Utomlyonnye solntsem 2 – Nikita Mikhalkov
Fair Game – Doug Liman

Out of Competition
Robin Hood – Ridley Scott
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger – Woody Allen
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – Oliver Stone

Submit your film to Cannes in a Van

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 08:07:13 +0000

I remember trying to sell a corporate sponsor the idea of organising projections of short films in a large car or small van during the festival. It didn’t happen. But luckily someone else had the bottle to get up and do it without the corporate shilling. Cannes in a Van is billed as the world’s smallest mobile film festival. They screen independent film at the Cannes Film Festival straight from the back of a yellow van parked on the Croisette. Shorts, features, festival reels and music videos; nothing is off-limits according to the site. Submissions are free and this year they are introducing the Van d’Or awards.

It’s a fun idea and worth supporting (and by the way, they also accept corporate shillings as sponsorship – see the site). Details and the submission form can be found here. Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Juliette Binoche and the Cannes Festival 2010 poster

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:49:38 +0000

To answer a question I was asking myself yesterday, no I’m not the only one to be a little under-whelmed by the Cannes Festival 2010 poster. The comments I have been hearing could be summed up globally as, “Love Juliette Binoche as an actress, but…”

My “but” focuses on two things. With a face as enigmatic as Binoche, why is it so small in the overall photo? Would it not have been better to do a head shot? And what’s this big, dark slab of a shadow across her face?

Apart from that, the light-writing is a nice touch.

What do you think? Does anyone have any links to alternative Cannes festival posters? Could be fun!

If you’re on the Croisette, you have to stand out

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:43:16 +0000

I’ve seen some pretty cool delegate bags in Cannes. I’ve also seen some bags that fall apart after a few weeks. But in either case, who wants to walk around town with the same bag as everyone else? Come on, you’ve come this far to melt into the masses? I thought not.

The Cannes or Bust messenger bag ensures you stroll the Croisette with the brightest bag in town. It has a large and a smaller compartment and a discreet Cannes or Bust logo (in American typewriter no less). All this for €23.90 plus shipping. Check it here. Not only does it look good, it’s made for delegates with plenty of room for folders, brochures or – why not – swimming trunks.

Last minute: badges for attending Cannes screenings

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:32:15 +0000

We often get asked about how to attend screenings at the Cannes festival. The short answer is yes, there is a way. And it’s called Cannes Cinephile, a programme that enables locals and visitors to possibly catch a screening or two. The locals are given special treatment. If they sign up for a badge by March 5 2010, they are entitled to catch movies at La Licorne, Le Raimu and Studio 13 cinemas. The badge can also be obtained by foreign movie clubs. Some 4,000 badges are granted annually, but there are always more requests than there are badges. So they ask for “motivated” submissions.

People without badges might still get lucky, as a number of tickets are made available at the above cinemas and at the Cannes Tourist Office near the Pantiero during the festival. Note that these are for movie buffs, not gawkers. So they do not entitle holders to attend red-carpet screenings. Visit Cannes Cinema for details. Click this post for a longer explanation and details of the beach screenings.