DAY 1 - May 13, 2015
After an overnight Air France flight to Nice on the Cote d'Azur, my meticulously laid plans hit a snag when my friend's flight from Chicago was delayed. The carefully co-ordinated plan was to meet up at Nice International Airport and take the same private car to Cannes. Our driver Daniel was waiting and greeted me when I arrived, only to discover that he was not aware that his second passenger was arriving on a separate flight. He nevertheless agreed to wait for her to arrive. But, Murphy's Law reared its ugly head and even though her plane landed within a reasonable time we still had to wait to retrieve her baggage. Daniel said he couldn't wait any longer as he had another customer waiting in Cannes for a return trip to Nice Airport. After I informed my friend via text of the situation she agreed that I should go on ahead and that she would take a taxi to Cannes. I arrived at our apartment nearly 30 minutes later and was almost immediately followed by my cohorts arrival. It seems her baggage arrived almost immediately after I departed the airport and she got a taxi that delivered her in Cannes post haste.
After checking in an discarding our luggage in the apartment we headed to the Croisette and the Palais de Festival to register and get our certification badges and sign up for screenings. Then it was off to find some much needed nourishment. We stopped in at Brasserie Le Crillon and had the most amazing Salmon Tartare.
Maneuvering Around the Festival
Several close friends and acquaintances attended this year which changed the dynamics of how I maneuver during the 11 days of the Festival. I didn't spend as much time actively seeking red carpet access or hanging with newly acquired "Festival Friends". I missed several connections with all my prior years hanging buddies. WiFi connections were at the absolute worst in recent history. My cellphone charging cable broke and texts were delayed because of some miserable glitch with my new iPhone 6 Plus. I missed a connection for Naomi Campbell's birthday party, a seat at the table of Red Carpet designer to the stars Raxann Chinn (Fameka) at the Nelson Mandela Gala, and a yacht party, all because of wifi and phone problems.
Along with friends McGhee and Linda I made several trips outside of Cannes including lunch and shopping in Monte Carlo, an overnight stay at my condo in Nice where we did quite a bit of shopping, dinner at the Eden Roc Restaurant at the Hotel du Cap in Cap d'Antibes, and lunch and a tour of Marseille. I must say I was very impressed with Marseille as it has a very strong New York City vibe with a French twist.
Since part of my Cannes adventure this year involved doing some networking for director Deborah Riley Draper (Coffee Bluff Pictures), I was able to make some great connections for her new documentary Olympic Pride, American Prejudice. Producer Justin Finney of California Pictures (based at Paramount Studios) is very interested in seeing the trailer. I also talked to Yasiin Bey (aka, Mos Def) about the film and he was extremely interested as well. Deborah is thinking that just maybe she will approach him to do the music or narrate the film. Yasiin was in Cannes with the documentary film Amy (the film biography of singer Amy Winehouse, who was a dear friend of his) in which he is a participant. I also attended the screening of the film that showcased her immense talent and the tragedy that took her young life. Amy was an extremely talented singer who had a lot more to give to the world. The film left me incredibly touched by her complex life and talent and saddened by her death.
One other screening I attended was Nie Yinniang (The Assassin) that left me confused and wondering what happened at the end. I saw this film with my friend McGhee and we both left with the same impression. There were very long scenes where the camera lingered for what seemed like an eternity. The cinematography was beautiful but I didn't think the scenes warranted such a love fest. Funny thing at the end of the screening I sarcastically stated that it would probably win an award, and it did, Best Director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. I will quote the winner of the Jury Prize here since it seems to sum up why a film like The Assassin wins prizes, "You always try to do something different in film, which makes it hard to achieve unanimous approval. So to win an award is extraordinary." Don't Judge! I wasn't judging, just confused.
After 15 years of attending the Festival there were several noticeable changes including the large security presence on the Croisette and in the luxury hotels that house the movers and shakers and stars in the film industry. There is also a push to maintain the high level of red carpet protocol for dressing for the major screenings. Rumors ran rampant that women were being turned away from the red carpet for showing up in flats rather than heels for the formal gathering. After all it is black-tie for men and long dresses for women. According to some female guests — several of them elderly — were turned away from a screening of Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara's new film, "Carol," for wearing flats, which were deemed inappropriate. Chiming in on Twitter, other women said they have had to argue their way into screenings for wearing shoes that didn't pass muster, even if medical reasons warranted it. Screen Daily {The Independent}
The list of winners of the 68th Festival de Cannes
FEATURE FILMS - COMPETITION
Palme d'or
Palme d'or
Best Director Award
HOU Hsiao-Hsien for NIE YINNIANG (The Assassin)
Jury Prize
Best Actress Award
Best Actor Award
Vincent LINDON in LA LOI DU MARCHÉ (The Measure of a Man) by Stéphane BRIZÉ
SHORT FILMS - COMPETITION
Palme d'or
Palme d'or
UN CERTAIN REGARD
UN CERTAIN REGARD AWARD
JURY PRIZE
BEST DIRECTOR PRIZE
UN CERTAIN TALENT PRIZE
Joint PROMISING FUTURE PRIZE
CAMÉRA D’OR
LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA (Land and Shade) by César Augusto ACEVEDO presented during La Semaine de la Critique
CINÉFONDATION
First Prize
SHARE by Pippa Bianco
AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, USA
Second Prize
LOCAS PERDIDAS (Lost Queens) by Ignacio Juricic Merillán
Carrera de Cine y TV Universidad de Chile, Chile
Joint Third Prize
THE RETURN OF ERKIN by Maria Guskova
High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors, Russia
Joint Third Prize
VICTOR XX by Ian Garrido López
ESCAC, Spain
SHARE by Pippa Bianco
AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, USA
Second Prize
LOCAS PERDIDAS (Lost Queens) by Ignacio Juricic Merillán
Carrera de Cine y TV Universidad de Chile, Chile
Joint Third Prize
THE RETURN OF ERKIN by Maria Guskova
High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors, Russia
Joint Third Prize
VICTOR XX by Ian Garrido López
ESCAC, Spain
The Jury of the CST has awarded the VULCAN AWARD OF THE TECHNICAL ARTIST to:
