Saturday, May 15, 2010

Cannes continued...

Friday, Day 2 and Saturday, Day 3 Somebody put the air in the balloon. Friday afternoon Cannes lifted itself from dreary and weary to snap, crackle and pop. There still aren’t as many people here (be it less filmmakers, less industry, less tourists, less students or less drag queens…I can’t quite tell), but there must be something to that old adage “if you say it’s so enough times, it becomes so”. The trade dailies are quoting buyers and sellers talking optimistically about product and value and excitement (although I still haven’t felt the buzz tidal wave for any one film yet) and it seems to have rubbed off onto the general populace.

The Abu Dhabi party on Friday night was a hit for me, but a miss for others. I got there early, worked the room, saw dozens of the people I wanted to see, flirted, chatted, drank and ate…generally, had a working-good time. Saw filmmakers whose work I adore (“Kavi”, Palm Springs ShortFest 2009). Danced with a Lebanese journalist while waiting in the food line. Left before I could become a bore.

Screen International continues to rise in its dominance over the other trades for my money—faster stories with better in-depth analysis. Only IndieWire these days gives me as much on the spot coverage. Variety is a close second, Hollywood Reporter an also-ran. Still I haven’t seen journalists working this hard in a long time.

The Short Film Corner has had a face lift. I haven’t been a fan in the past, but the attention paid this year to presentation gives luster to the “tucked away in a corner” Corner. Still, I want these films more integrated into the larger festival and I want more shorts added to the general line up. Just a handful in competition is a short film crime, I say. If you really are nurturing new film talent, Cannes, this is where you find them. A perfect example is the short “Tanglin Road” (PSSF 2009) from writer/director Boo Junfeng, whose feature film debut, “Sandcastle” is playing in Cannes Critics Week.

Director Mike Leigh is everywhere today (Saturday) as his film “Another Year” screens in competition tonight. I like his quote in Screen Daily best, to sum up Cannes: “It’s a feast of human foible and glory and nonsense, and I love it for all that.”

The feast is on. Appetizer course was a little bland, but the soup course tasty…

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