Zoom-in Online

Tuesday morning I arrive at the center of film universe with a map and the Festival "practical guide" explaining the lay of the land, the do's and don'ts. Outside the Palais des Festivals and the Riviera there's the Festival Zone that includes the Village international - Pantiero as well as the Cinema de la Plage (a huge screen on the beach where I saw HONDO with John Wayne dubbed in French). The ID badges are name-specific and bar-coded and security is tight with bag searches, scanners and eagle-eyed guards that make sure you're either in the right place or heading in the right direction. That includes the marina where the boat I'm staying on is docked.

It's a short walk to the Festival Zone so it's very convenient to go back to and do some work (like right now). There's something about doing your job in beautiful surroundings - very inspiring and much better than in a hotel room or having to go out of town. Some filmmakers I talked to have to get back to Nice (a thirty minute drive) every day because that's all they were able to find. That's when you really have to plan an itinerary and stick to it. Despite this being the second half of the Festival, more people are still coming in and so a room can be a highly desirable commodity if it becomes suddenly available.

I arrive at the Marche du Film to pick up credentials and navigate around three floors of booths and meeting areas where anything and everything film related can be acquired from worldwide cinema to the best chairs available for screening rooms. Crowds filter in throughout the day, cruising the aisles, picking up daily schedules, line up at the temporary business office and alleyway for the WiFi hotspot.

There are Market Screenings, the Official screening, Festival screenings and of course, international sales. Filmmakers are posting their posters and handing out their postcards, business cards, DVDs and sometimes setting up their own version of a screening room out in the street. An enterprising director rented a van and screened his film from the opened back with a group of chairs arranged out of traffic's way. The police didn't seem to bother him as long as he didn't obstruct the traffic flow and it's a great way to get some attention in a sea of film promotion - posters in every shape and form create a glaring visual landscape, banners stretch across balconies of otherwise stately hotels, flyers litter the streets (however, I did see a huge recycling bin near the Press mailboxes inside) and a massive outpouring of business-oriented cinephiles all looking to make the right connection.

The networking goes on from morning till the wee hours of early morning light. Black tie is essential and seems to be the accepted business attire. It looks okay for guys to be in a tux all day long (it may not be comfortable) but it looks a little silly for women to be in their evening wear at 10 a.m. and don't get me started with the shoes - I packed plenty of bandages and moleskin. The parties are not easy to get into. You have to have an invitation and I haven't quite figured out how one goes about getting an invite. Most of the time if you meet someone during the day, at the market, film screening or early evening cocktail hour, chances are good that you'll be invited to something. I did go to see an extraordinary film CALLE SANTA FE a documentary by Carmen Castillo about the MIR revolution's fight against the Chilean Coup d'Etat in the 1970s. Her first person account to find meaning in this forty-year struggle without self-pity was an account of war and society without getting preachy about it. It's a fascinating history lesson within a human context and worth the two hours and forty-five minutes, receiving a standing ovation - that is something rare in Cannes (so I hear) and I felt emotionally drained afterwards. Interestingly, the filmmaker was present but there wasn't a Q&A, but perhaps the material was too personal and the director decided not to open up to any other questions. In any case, the sea breeze off the Mediterranean was welcoming and my senses revived in the night air. It's still early and I have just enough time to meet up with some newly found friends and find places where there's networking going on.