Lights, Camera, Madness=Le 66eme Festival de Cannes.

DEAREST READER,

Cannes has now returned to its rightful state of tranquility after being taken over by the film world. I, on the other hand, feel as if I’m still working towards full recovery from the thrill and pandemonium that ensued during the 66th Cannes Film Festival.

It arrived in full force!

Tout le monde était ici.

It was quite the sight to see the town that I have called home now for 4 months increase three-fold in the amount of suit-wearing men with mysterious badges, the different languages being spoken, and tourists overtaking the bus system all the way from La Bocca.

Cannes was another world entirely for 2 weeks.

Though tiring, stressful, and frustrating as it got in the low points over the course of the festival’s run, I didn’t expect anything less. Cannes wouldn’t have the reputation it does for being the mecca of film were it not for the crowd it attracted here who just happen to come bearing intense agendas and/or limited knowledge of French. Yet, the highs were all of what I hoped to experience and then some.

My internship with FilmFestivals.com had a shaky start due to our uncertainty as to what exactly we were doing, but with the reassurance of our supervisor, Bruno Chatelin, after the first two days of collecting all our footage and photos from the beginning of the festival, my fellow intern Caroline Meintzer and I started to get in a good groove of things. Our job as “film festival correspondents” for the website allowed us the opportunity to put our blogging skills to work.

Using our own cameras, we were responsible for recording daily video diaries with Nadine Vinzens, a former Miss Switzerland, who had just made a film entitled “Four Senses” to which she and her team from a Los Angeles production company were trying to get publicity for. Since she is trying to delve deeper into the acting scene, her team and Bruno saw it necessary that she come to Cannes at the time when networking opportunities are at its absolute prime.

Almost every morning, we would head down to the Palais, the center of the Croisette where conferences were held, movies were shown, the red carpet laid, and movie stars arrived to and film some quick shots with Nadine. With our badge, a market circulation one, we were able to enter the Palais, go through the backdoor entrance at “Les Entrée des Artistes”, and tour the Marché du Film where many international production companies had their own booth.

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Most importantly, we were able to catch the stars of the films shown this year as they arrived for their press conferences for the five minutes they could spare to sign some autographs, take some photos, and answer basic questions like, “Your feelings for tonight sir/ma’am?”. However, this did depend whether or not that actor/actress felt like it doing that part of the publicity scene or not.

Here are the videos that I made for the site and hopefully, you’ll recognize a few faces…

To see more: Click HERE

In the midst of all the video recording and photo taking throughout the day we also helped out at two beach parties and two wine tasting parties where we worked as hostesses and bottle poppers. It was definitely a combination of both work and play where we were able to invite our friends to two out of the four. Thankfully, they helped to bring the median age down since it became increasingly clear to me that young 20-somethings make up a very small fraction of the population of people who come to Cannes for the festival. Thus, we helped to liven the party up with our care free dancing into the night.

They put rings on it.

Caroline, Elise, and Samantha.

I simply love this picture.

Après dancing all night long.

Le Grand Hotel beach where the second beach party was to take place.

Bruno hard at work.

Notice the man in the sailor hat.

An array of people of “importance”?

Nadine, star of the film.

Friends to join the party!

The night wouldn’t be complete without a woman singing, “It’s Raining Men.”

It was certainly nice to be able to get to see the nightlife of the festival but at the same time, the early starts to the day and the late ends began to take its toll. Soon enough, all the days started to blur together.

The better days, however, I remember clearly. They always happened to be ones that taught me a lesson or two about this business of film such as…

• The day I met Drive director, Nicolas Winding Refn’s, stepfather whilst waiting for the cast of “Inside Llewyn Davis” to arrive. I had come 45 minutes before they were scheduled to come just to get a good place in the press area and I started up small talk with him. At first I only thought that his son acted in Drive since I didn’t hear him clearly, but upon asking for clarification for what his son actually did in Drive, he proudly said that his son directed it. The man was incredibly nice and even he, the stepfather, made it clear that although he’s been coming to the festival for almost 20 years, he doesn’t get VIP treatment just for being a family member of one of the director’s in competition because everyone is “important” here. He had to wait in line just like everyone else, holding a camera and microphone to get footage for the TV channel he has been working for in Denmark. Just a man doing his job.
• The day I met Scott Feinberg from The Hollywood Reporter. I was waiting outside Majestic 66 Beach for Nadine to finish up there when he asked me if he was in the correct place. I assured him he was although I didn’t recognize him right away and let him know that the director he was about to interview was inside the lounge area. Upon further chatting, I asked him his name and with a firm handshake, he introduced himself as, “Scott Feinberg, Hollywood Reporter.” It was rather crazy since I was just on his website two days prior and had been watching his daily video diaries on The Hollywood Reporter’s YouTube channel. His work is fantastic and I was sure to let him know that enthusiastically. You can watch the videos here.
• The days we were able to catch a few star sightings. Christoph Waltz was the first. Then Sofia Coppola and Emma Watson for “The Bling Ring”. Later on…Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Mathieu Amalric, Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, Marion Cotillard, Kristin Scott Thomas, Nicolas Winding Refn, Zachary Quinto, Jeremy Renner, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, James Franco, and so on.
• The day I was able to actually have a conversation with an actor. Michael B. Jordan from “Friday Night Lights” had a movie that was playing in “Un Certain Regard” and he was a genuine guy. It was his first time to the festival and we ended up seeing him two days in a row. He was truly down to earth and it was even better that he remembered us (and my tweet to him)!
  

Nice. Humble. I liked him a lotl

• The day I met Loki aka Tom Hiddleston. His film, “Only Lovers Left Alive” was the only film that I really thought I’d be able to see since it was on the second to the last day of the festival and Nadine had already left for Switzerland. A lighter workload meant that I could go and wait to meet this tall British fellow that I had come to admire for his work and charm (at least what I could tell from interviews). He came in a dapper blue suit, sporting raybans and as I asked for an autograph and picture, he replied with an “of course” and ended up asking to take the picture himself with my camera since he stated that his arms are longer. After taking the picture, he turned the camera to make sure that it was good and then I was able to catch his eye again when I told him that I saw he almost didn’t make it to the festival. (According to his Twitter the night before, his flight from London got cancelled!) He smiled at me and said, “I know! I had to take a ferry!”

Tom and Tilda. Check out that suit!

Oh Tom. Now this was a lovely guy!

• Finally, the day I was able to walk le tapis rouge. I had my heart set on walking that red carpet the night that Tom’s film was to premiere. Thanks to the winning smile of my friend and her lucky sign (if you want free tickets, you basically stand outside with a handwritten sign asking for them from people who aren’t going to use them as they walk to and from the Palais), we scored our 3 minutes of fame on the red carpet and some center seats.

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The festival was a whirlwind. It came. And it went. Just like this semester. It just reaffirmed to me that I am bound for nowhere else but that industry where the thrill is high, the work is rewarding, and where opportunities are boundless.

Something tells me, I’ll be back.

But at present, I must get to packing up the rest of my things. I leave to London tonight. If only I could wrap me head around the end of this monumental chapter of my life and the beginning of completely different adventure. With my Eurail pass in hand.

I will write when I’m in London on the final wrap up here in Cannes, because if I write now, I will most certainly get all emotional and what not. Alors, je vais ecrire demain.

LOVE,

ELISE