2024 Cannes Diaries #2
Cannes est magique!
Day One – Shutter Sounds and Spotlights
As expected, the opening night was quite glamorous and very crowded. I spent the day at the Palais engaging in impromptu conversations. Networking, a staple of Cannes, allows you to meet dozens, even hundreds of people in just a few days, and indulge in endless film conversations. Hearing the thoughts of professionals from different sectors was quite eye-opening for a “non-industry” cinephile like me. In fact, I haven’t yet met anyone who isn’t a professional or outside of the industry; it seems that Cannes, with its carpets bearing the footsteps of many cinema gods, especially the Godard almighty, has undoubtedly consecrated me to this place as the temple of the cinema. We’ll wait and see.
As the evening approaches, I need to get ready for the opening night; I dress up in my evening gown and touch up my makeup in the Palais restroom. With tickets not even enough for sector badges, I need to go to the last-minute line as a cinephile. However, the exit of the building is blocked by police, so I have to take an alternative route and navigate a whole street full of people in my high heels. This could be the longest 20 minutes of my life.
20,000 Leagues Around Cannes (Clear Version)
Under the rain, hundreds of people in tuxedos are waiting in line, hoping to be accepted onto the red carpet. You quickly bond with those in line, and the conversations are so enjoyable and interesting that you don’t realize how time flies.
And the result: About 15 people before the entrance, it’s announced that the hall is full; enjoy standing in your high heels and evening gown for 3.5 – 4 hours in the rain. Moreover, despite being around the building, you miss the entire red carpet ceremony and have nothing to do with the dazzling spotlights illuminating the red carpet, the shutter sounds, and the “I’ve seen a celebrity” screams of the gathered crowd. At that moment, you accept this sweet defeat and head off to have a drink with your fellow comrades before the next screening.
The day ends with the screening of the opening film; the hall is filled with hundreds of people in tuxedos like me and my line mates, welcome to the loser club of those who missed the first screening. After a tiring day inhaling the artist dust on the red carpet, an unexpected comedy film lightens you up a bit. (The Second Act – for the film review link)
Day 2 – To Be or Not To Be (with a Ticket)
Complete! Access by badge, if place available
Translation: If important people with invitations have more important things to do and cannot attend this event, we may accept a few lucky, less important badge holders who have waited in line for at least two hours.
Alright, challenge accepted, so I first try my luck at Meryl Streep’s talk. Soon enough, the ticket officers announce that the hall is completely full and disperse the line.
I only have a ticket for the night screening, so I spend the time in between wandering around the country pavilions. After some socializing, I line up for Wild Diamond. After a two-and-a-half-hour wait, only a few lucky ones were admitted into the hall; this time I lost better, though. I move away from the area to get something to eat.
Regarding badges and tickets: A badge means everything in Cannes. Without a badge, you can’t even enter the festival areas. Of course, there’s a hierarchy among badges; while the ticket reservation screen for some sector badges opens at 07:00, it opens at 09:00 for others. And not every screening/event is open to every badge. I guess the badge with the broadest access is the press badge, while the cinephile badge is somewhere in the middle. Despite this, I am very happy to have found quite a few tickets.
May You Have Plenty of Tickets!
At 9:30, I watched Luis Federico’s first feature film Simon de la Montaña at the Miramar salon. It was interesting but somewhat forced as a psychological drama. A review of the film will follow shortly.
Day 3 – A Badge Drama: Diving into the Unknown
The day starts wonderfully – I watched “Truffaut’s Le Scénario de ma vie, François Truffaut,” with director David Teboul in attendance, as part of Cannes classics.
The tactic I developed on the third day of ticket acquisition is working: today I have 3 more films with tickets, and time flows from one cinema hall to another! The films I watched and will review at the first opportunity are as follows:
16:15 – Ljósbrot – Rúnar Rúnarsson – Un Certain Regard (Cineum) 18:15 – Diamant Brut – Agate Riedinger – In Competition (Cineum) 21:45 – Walking in the Movies – Kim Lyang – Cannes Classics (Salle Bunuel – Palais de Cannes)
Unfortunately, I missed the cocktail party I was invited to for the French-Senegal co-productions due to this documentary.
Another sad news – the screening of Yorgos Lanthimos’s latest film Kinds of Kindness, which I managed to get tickets for with great difficulty, was canceled, unfortunately! Maybe space will open up for other sessions – keep refreshing the page!
To be continued: Cannes Diaries #1
