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.

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.

I’ve always known people who attend Cannes fairs without paying the entrance fee. I can remember seeing Freddy Cousaert (who got Marvin Gaye back into the record business) holding court from a kerbside table, calling over passing acquaintences to do business. Organisers Reed Midem exert quite an influence on the town and during the Cannes film festival, people without a badge cannot enter many of the major hotels. They take these things seriously in this town.

Squatting a restaurant looked like a great idea. But I doubt they will be trying it again any time soon. There’s a clear  line between entertaining people outside the Palais and riding piggyback on a major event. If you’re attending Cannes and want to organise something like this, my tip is to play safe and take passes to the event in addition to entertaining in the café/restaurant/club. The key point seems to be that they were not even registered with MIPIM, and were therefore perceived to be leeching the event. Drivers Jonas is considering an appeal.

Why is this a good deal? You get very easy access to the Palais and Croisette for the duration of the festival in a comfortable hotel. Compared to standard rates, you are getting at least €300 in reduction, plus benefits.

What do I have to do to get it? Easy, just sign up for the Cannes or Bust newsletter (below). Your code will be included in the next issue!


The event will also provide a platform for the annual French games awards, l’As d’Or (Golden Ace) with 11 games in the running, which can be played on the spot. For details, visit Festival des jeux.

Selected filmmakers are presented with an opportunity to screen at the Palais des Festivals, sell in the Marché du Film, attend CIFF marketing and sales courses, have their film listed in CIFF’s Official Market Guide, network with attending industry executives, and attend launch and promotion parties at the CIFF villa. The Festival offers awards in eleven categories with sponsored prizes totaling over $100,000 in value. CIFF also offers a number of travel and accommodation allowances to participating filmmakers, covering airfare, accreditation, and lodging in the villa.

Submissions are open. For details, visit CIFF.

The event is being held at the stylish Royal Casino, Av. Général de Gaulle 605 in Mandelieu. For details, visit Open de France. Our tip: if you’re playing, you’ll want to stay somewhere in Mandelieu. However, you might not necessarily want to book for the while time in advance unless you intend to stay the whole time!

Rome is already served by Air France, Alitalia and just one other low cost airline, Blu-Express. Our tip: if you’re coming or going to Milan, you might also want to check the special deals on Trenitalia.

I’m just not too sure how much all this costs. They have an à la carte pricing policy that looks great value to me even when I add bits up. For details, visit the World Photography Festival.

Here’s a tip from us: The good news is that this falls in an off-season time for the hotels. So you can find great deals on our Cannes hotel deals site.

The hotel’s atrium is a popular meeting point during the Cannes Film Festival, while its top floor is often used for receptions and TV interviews. The redesign pays tribute to the legendary film stars of festivals past, such as Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, and Liz Taylor.

Further details and bookings. The hotel is already fully booked for the Cannes Film Festival 2010.