May 2001 is my first time in Cannes for the film festival. I traveled here with my best friend Trudy and my neighbors in Nice, Dan and Mary Dennis. They brought their son Lance who is experiencing his first trip to the French Riviera. The Dennis' have traveled here before and were the first people I called when I found out about the flats for sale in Nice when I traveled here in March 2000 for my birthday. We purchased adjacent flats at Residence Massena and decided that it was the perfect location for visiting during the Cannes Film Festival and the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. Prior to our first trip in May 2001, Dan was in Los Angeles for a Board of Directors meeting for Bank of Commerce. He spoke with one of the other attendees for another bank about our upcoming trip to Nice and our hope to attend the Cannes Film Festival while there, but didn't have any credentials or knew anyone in the industry. The Gentleman he spoke with, responded, "well you do now" and introduced himself as a VP of Sony Films. Long story short he hooked Dan up with John Honore from Columbia Pictures France in Paris and John hooked us up with Sherani Mercier the Columbia representative in Cannes. We met Sherani at the Carlton who arranged for us to attend Sean Penn and Jack Nicholson's screening after-party for their movie 'The Pledge' that evening and also arranged for us to attend a screening and walk the red carpet the next day. The film that we saw was the Russian entry in competition. Thus my first foray onto the Cannes red carpet.
2001 Official Cannes Film Festival Program
Program Page for The Pledge
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Partygoer's at the after party for Sean Penn's move The Pledge |
Party after The Pledge red carpet screening
Ticket for Russian film Taurus red carpet screening at Grand Theater Luminere
Program details of Russian Film "Taurus"
Drinks after the red carpet screening of Taurus
I must say for my first ever trip to the Cannes Film Festival, the most prestigious in the world, it was more than I ever expected to be able to break the barrier of the most sought after red carpet in the world.
Looking forward to many more years of visiting the French Riviera and the Cannes Film Festival. Call me the luckiest girl in the world.
