How come the Cannes Film Festival posters all look like ads for Chopard?

What shapes Cannes as a festival?

The Cannes festival remains a pretty daunting high-brow affair most of the time. Some of the most remarkable careers started here, people like Coppola and Tarantino spring to mind. The Dardenne brothers are another example. Last year, the Palme went to the top-heavy “Tree of Life”. Von Trier was a Cannes darling (and truth be told, he will remain so with juries and press but misplaced political correctness led to him being banned last year).

These characters shape Cannes as a festival and – dare I say it? – as a brand. But if you look at the images chosen over the past few years, there is a very clear trend. They all tend to be women, good-looking and very often based on nostalgia. Why? Cannes is a forward-thinking festival, yet there is an almost complete disconnect between what drives the festival – daring movies – and the images (such as the one for Cannes 2009 and the admittedly gorgeous shot of Faye Dunaway last year) which look like perfume ads.

Niceness over relevance

Deep down, my problem with the Cannes festival posters globally is that they are surprisingly empty. They mean nothing and only evoke the past. I can see no reason for this, apart from the festival’s reliance on luxury goods as corporate sponsors. And let’s be honest: Marilyn Monroe is famous for a number of things. Her acting skills are not the first thing that spring to mind. So what sort of message are we getting?

Is there not room for a bolder approach, and one that uses the considerable graphic skills available in France? The Quinzaine des Réalisateurs tend to have better images. Should the festival itself not be leading in this field, rather than creating postcards?

I’m aware as I write this that there are people giving gasps of pleasure at the Marilyn Monroe poster (and it is a nice photo). I’ve seen words such as “sublime” and “iconic” being bandied about. But should we really be celebrating one of cinema’s most mediocre actresses at the world’s most exciting festival? If I think of women that represent the spirit of Cannes, it would probably be closer to Björk. How about you?

Photo by Otto L. Bettmann (©Corbis/Bettmann). Design by Bronx

EasyJet is opening seven new connections to Nice, including Lille, Naples, Venice and Barcelona. This brings the total of number of destinations to 24. Find the complete list on the EasyJet site (in French, but you get the full list. Change the language on the homepage). Prices start at about €35, but don’t expect that on the busy festival weekend.

From March 30, Belgian low-cost airline JetairFly connects Charleroi (otherwise known as Brussels South, about 45 minutes from the capital) and Paris-Vatry to Nice on Fridays and Sundays. In July and August they will add another flight on Mondays. Perfect for a short getaway or a week on the coast. You’ll find details here. There are prices from €29.99, again this goes up for the busy weekend.

If you hear of any other good money-saving deals to Cannes, why not drop a note below?

In the run-up to the Cannes Film festival, I’ll be detailing all the competitions I can find that offer free trips as a prize. Remember that many of these will be for specific countries and with set deadlines. So read the fine print before entering.

• If you’re French, between the age of 18 and 25 and can face watching over 20 films in 10 days, why not try and become part of the Youth Jury? Deadline: March 1. Get the details at Prix de le jeunesse.
• South Africans could try their luck by watching Oscar^® nominated film at Cinema Nouveau or Ster Kinekor Theatres. Tweet your review to @nouveaubuzz or SMS “Buzz” and your review to 33007. Details on Cinema Nouveau. Deadline: April 15, 2012.
• New UK streaming service Moviedrome is offering a prize of two flights to Nice airport, two nights in Cannes and two tickets to a film premiere. Deadline is March 30, 2012 Details on Moviedrome.
• Subscribers to the Radisson Blu e-newsletter have an opportunity to win two weekend nights at the Radisson Blu in Cannes (very nice!). To do so you answer a straightforward and an impossible question (did I say anywhere that going to Cannes for free is easy?). So first sign up here and then answer here.
• If you’re into the super 8 scene, why not try your luck shooting a one-reel movie without editing in the Straight 8 contest? The winners get to see their film in Cannes. Deadline: April 11. Details at Straight8.
• In the UK, Stella Artois is again running a competition  with tickets for two to Cannes at a 5-star hotel as a prize. You must be over 18 and have a passport at the time of travel (natch). Deadline: April 5 at 10am. Check their Facebook page here.
• French music fans that are subscribers to Deezer Premium or Deezer Premium Plus should try their luck at winning two nights during the festival with a hotel and dinner for two. All you have to do is suggest the music that best represents Cannes for you. Deadline April 26, 2012.
• French bloggers from the PACA region, try your luck with France 4‘s competition. There’s an all-access pass to events and screenings for someone willing to blog daily. Find out more on France 4 (in French).
• It’s kind of late and I’m not sure what the conditions or deadlines are, but Sosh has a contest for a night at the Majestic, a red-carpet screening and others goodies. Details on Sosh’s Pinterest page (in French).
• Another French contest: Vodkaster is running a contest where you have to recognise previous Palme winners. The prize is a ticket for the closing ceremony. No details until you sign up at the Vodkaster page.

Cannes or Bust is associated in no way with the various contest organisers. Remember, conditions apply to all offers. This list will grow over the coming few weeks. Check back frequently or follow the Cannes or Bust twitter account for instant updates.  Out of interest, you could check last year’s competition.

Share with your fiends! Let them take part and possibly win a trip to the Cannes Film Festival using the share buttons below.

The destinations are Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Athens, Naples, Istanbul and Venice, all of which enter into service from April 2012 – just in time for the Cannes Film Festival 2012.

So if you are intending to attend the Film Festival, double check all these possibilities to get the best combination of convenience and price.

Resources:

Air France

Nice airport

As the conference drew to a close, the director, who won the Palme d’Or with “Dancer in the Dark,” was asked about comments he made in a recent interview regarding his interest in the Nazi aesthetic.

“No, that was a joke”
“I thought I was a Jew for a long time and was very happy being a Jew,” he said (referring to the fact he discovered only late in life that he was German). “Then later on came (Jewish and Danish director) Susanne Bier and then suddenly I wasn’t so happy about being a Jew. No, that was a joke, sorry. But it turned out I was not a Jew – but even if I’d been a Jew I would be kind of a second rate Jew because there is kind of a hierarchy in the Jewish population. But anyway, I really wanted to be a Jew and then I found out I was really a Nazi, you know, because my family was German, Hartmann, which also gave me some pleasure.”

It looks very likely that Von Trier has a mouth that works on its own. But Dunst and the reporters were not sure how to take his comments.

…”not what you call a good guy…”
“What can I say? I understand Hitler. I think he did some wrong things, yes absolutely, but I can see him sitting in his bunker in the end. I think I understand the man. He’s not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him and I sympathize with him a little bit. But come on, I’m not for the Second World War, and I’m not against Jews. I am of course very much for Jews. No, not too much because Israel is a pain in the ass. But still, how can I get out of this sentence?”

The fuss will inevitably be misinterpreted, misquoted and used against the film. He looks as if this is supposed to be a joke, but you can judge for yourself by watching the full Von Trier press conference here.

This is certainly true. It might also be a strong message to the countries of North Africa for another reason. Egypt was once indeed a powerhouse of world cinema, but currently only produces some 20 films per year for a population of 73 million. This figure has dropped from 72 in 1995. By way of comparison, South Korea produces about 80 films for a population of 48 million and Iran produces about 83 films for a population of 67 million.

Egyptian cinema needs support. Like other countries such as Morocco, it also needs more resources to stamp out the chronic levels of piracy that have all but killed theatrical releases. Old-fashioned though it might sound, theatrical is still an important part of the financing and promotion of movies.

The tribute to Egypt will take place on May 18 and will include an homage to late Egyptian directing legend Yousseff Chahine, the director of “Al-Massir/Destiny” (photo) who died in 2008. Egyptian directors, actors, producers and technicians will attend the event that will also see the screening of “18 jours”, short films shot during Egypt’s January 25 revolution. The festival will also salute the Tunisian revolution by showing the Tunisian documentary film “No More Fear”.

Majestic Barrière, the Forum venue

After two years of downward trends, we are seeing some signs of recovery. This is the message from the Film Finance Forum that will be held during the Cannes Film Festival 2011. According to the organisers, traditional investors and new equity financiers are investing in Hollywood again, bankers are showing greater interest, mezzanine money is coming in, and many other indicators are pointing to a healthier market.

This is very upbeat. But when it comes to money, God is in the details. This is why the forum will address the impact of the global economy on the industry, emerging trends in deal structuring, capital raising challenges and solutions, capitalizing on digital delivery and other factors affecting film financing today.

There will be sessions on international financing and joint ventures; the state of the film industry on a global scale; risk mitigation using technology; solutions for incentives and tax credit woes; creating content that reaches a wider audience; effective sales, marketing, and distribution strategies; and monetizing on electronic delivery worldwide.

The Film Finance Forum is organised by Winston Baker, in association with Variety, on May 13 2011. Click here for registration. Registration $395 ($495 on the day).

Kusturica has twice won the Palme d’Or and is also a Commander of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has also appeared in Cannes with his band, the No Smoking Orchestra. He has a number of projects on the boil, not least a Palestinian comedy which seems right up his street.

There’s a fee to submit films, and screenings take place in the Palais (which actually features  a large number of small screening theatres in addition to the main auditorium) or “other top screening sites in Cannes”.

More details will be available from April 2011. Check this review of last year’s event. For further information visit Cannes Independent Film Festival. If you have good or bad experiences of the event, please fee free to post comments below.

€279 plus VAT instead of €309  for the Producers Network
279 € plus VAT instead of €309  for the Producers Workshop

Inevitably, half the readers are probably going, “Do I have to pay that much?” The answer is no. There are two-day passes for professionals that only cost about €50 (from memory). But they are only available on the site, so you won’t get listed in the directory, nor be able to promote your project or company from the directory before that.

Plus, if you think even €275 is expensive, I recommend that you check the prices for MIPTV as they start at €995. MIDEM starts at €490. No other market in the world has such a concentration of decision makers in the movie business.

To sign up, visit Marché du Film.

For those that are asking themselves the question: Why should I get accreditation for the Cannes film market. That answers most of your questions. If you have any more, ask in a comment blow or follow me on Twitter.