Autograph hunters in Cannes

Matt Damon meets fans in Cannes Photo: Sundays 🙂 via Flickr

Trying to get autographs in Cannes is a big part of the festival experience. They throng in front of the red carpet every night, hoping to get an autographs in Cannes from the celebrities just before they climb the stairs or hop into a cab.

It looks fun, but it’s a hectic way to spend your time. For the Cannes Film Festival, the really dedicated fans will chain a ladder or chair to the railings several days in advance. To ensure no-one gets their spot, people take turns guarding the precious spot. On the big day, they spend hours calling at the passing celebrities to try and get a signature.

These mega fans get a pretty rough deal, as they spend the day in the sun (or occasionally the rain), shout at glamorous strangers for an hour or two and are invited to none of the events. Nonetheless, a spirit of camaraderie inevitably springs up between the autograph hunters and amateur paparazzi.

Stars are known to react differently, depending on their mood and how much time they might have. Bruce Willis was once booed on the red carpet for not stopping to sign autographs – not a nice way to kick off a gala evening!

Other options for autograph hunters

If you are not lucky enough to grab a good spot at the red carpet, there are a few other options. Even though not all of them stay at the hotels in Cannes, celebrities – particularly the women – often use the suites to prepare for the evening screenings. So it is possible to get an autograph by waiting outside hotels such as the Majestic, Martinez and JW Marriott.

Less glamorous, but very strategic, is to spend time at the airport waiting for celebrities to arrive or leave. But who wants to spend all day at an airport when you are in the south of France? Plus, if they are coming from the US or Asia, the celebrities might be very tired.

It’s also worth remembering that there are many other events at Cannes, such as MIPTV and MIPCOM that have celebrity visits. Good autographs can sell for between €50-80.