Cannes Diary #09: Some unexpected fireworks in Cannes

TFE has been proud to bring you double-sized Cannes coverage this year for the first time, direct from Cannes itself, as well as companion screening suggestions at home. 

by Elisa Giudici

July, 14th: Bastille Day! Let me be honest with you, I totally forgot the holiday was today (time becomes an endless flow/blur during Festivals) but in the morning every hotel, resturant and administrative building was covered by a lot (a lot) of French flags. Happy to report that inbetween two screenings, I was able to see the magnificent fireworks exhibition on the sea with a spectacular view from the press room.

Even happier to report that there were fireworks in the Competition screenings, too...

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Cannes at Home: Day 9

by Cláudio Alves 

Today was a busy one for Spike Lee's jury. Because this year's Main Competition is so extensive, with 24 films vying for the Palme d'Or, some days feature three consecutive screenings. Still, that doesn't seem to abate anyone's enthusiasm. Lee himself was seen giving a standing ovation to Sean Baker's Red Rocket, the American director's first film to compete at Cannes. Hungarian Ildikó Enyedi also premiered The Story of My Wife, while previous Palme d'Or winner Jacques Audiard presented his Paris, 13th District. To celebrate these selected cineastes, we shall recall some of their best efforts to date. Among our program, we even find a drama led by one of Lee's fellow jurors, the recently Golden Globe and BAFTA-nominated Tahar Rahim…

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Cannes Diary #08: Huppert, Damon, "Titane", and peculiar babies...

by Elisa Giudici

Today a dream of mine came true: I was finally able to attend an event with Isabelle Huppert. She is quite popular on the film festival circuit but lately she is working in theatre a lot (right now some Chekhov, just like the protagonist of Drive My Car), so I was so excited to finally meet her at the "Rendez-vous avec Isabelle Huppert" event. Let me fangirl a little. She is truly a charismatic person with a serious attitude and kind smile. Her event had two moderators but they were quite nervous (I totally understand!) so the conversation was a bit repetitive if still interesting. The most iconic moment was when someone asked her if she ever experienced stage fright or if she was ever a little scared by the legendary directors she worked with. She immediately answered that she never feels intimidated by anyone. It is an attitude she is not interested in exploring; I wish my brain would listen and be more like that! On Haneke, she said that he obsesses over realistic movements, and gives actors a lot of boundaries but almost never any advice  on how to act...and she likes it that way,

In these kind of events moderators are crucial to create an interesting dialogue. I am not that much into Matt Damon's filmography but I found his Rendez-vous a memorable experience, too, because the interviewer prepared the list of questions well so that the whole event was engaging. Of course Damon's friendly attitude helped. He is a charming person and knows how to make an audience happy revealing small inside details from his long carrier. 

On to the movies...

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Cannes Red Carpet, mid week edition

by Nathaniel R

Sharon Stone is at Cannes!

The sartorial splendor of closing weekend events is just ahead of us but let's catch up on recent Cannes fashion. If you missed the previous reports they are here (opening night) and here (first few days). Now let's take a look at the glamour of midweek. Who takes your best-dressed crown? You can click on any of the images to enlarge them...

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Cannes Diary #07: The French Dispatch, a Boomer, and a lot of "I liked it, but..."

by Elisa Giudici

Three Floors (Nanni Moretti)

Cannes Film Festival has a color coded hierarchy. The lowest of the low are Yellow pass holders. With their slightly less powerless Blue cousins, they spend a lot of time (aka hours) in queue, hoping for a miracle. Pink journalists arrive later, having a high priority pass that lets them sleep a little more. At the top of journalist hierarchy, the aristocracy of pass holders: legendary Le Blanche, aka White pass holders. They can arrive at the last minute, waving their credentials to open every door.

The tales say so though I've never witnessed this with my own eyes. This year, with the (still not that reliable but definitively improved) ticketing system, things were a bit different. Even I, a humble yellow pass holder, was able to see almost every single movie on my list. Here are the four competition films I saw today...

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