Cannes 2016: Diary of a first-timer

Day 1

The roads are bustling with people. The atmosphere is electric. Every year during November I witness the city of Panaji get decked up for the International Film Festival of India. This year, it is the month of May and the city is Cannes.

There's excitement abound because it is my first visit to the uniquely famous Festival de Cannes. I have been told that this festival overwhelms you, no matter how much you prepare yourself for the extravaganza. Their professionalism and atmosphere already has. It is now time for the content to emulate it. 

The opening film of the festival was Woody Allen's Cafe Society. Unsurprisingly, there was a huge queue for the entry. Many youngsters were standing with a flash card that says, 'have an extra ticket, merci'. The film is set in 1930s when a young boy from New York comes to Hollywood in search of work and falls madly in love with a girl. 

 
Woody Allen (3rdR) and cast members Blake Lively (C), Kristen Stewart (2ndR), Corey Stoll (3rdL) and Jesse Eisenberg (R) on the red carpet for the opening ceremony and the screening of 'Cafe Society' out of competition during the 69th Cannes Film Festival. AFP

We stand in line and the security is tighter than usual. "They are not letting you take water inside the theatre this year," quips a journalist. "But then with the terrorist threats, you can't blame the authorities." The Guardian had reported, "The festival will operate with heightened security after the attacks on Paris and Brussels and reports from Italian intelligence that Islamic State is planning to target beach resorts. Cannes’ organizers have recruited 500 extra security personnel to protect the event, which this year is expected to draw more than 200,000 attendees, including the world’s media and some of film’s most famous players."  

Amidst all this, the festival began. Its grandeur, glamour and glitter all intact in spite of the perceptions of threat. After all, it is the numero uno of all the film fests across the world.

Day 2

"Where are you from? India?" A young journalist from Amsterdam asks me. The affirmative reply makes him talk about my country more. "I have been there. South of India. It is beautiful and the food is excellent. And now I want to explore the North."

Meanwhile, Rajyavardhan Rathore, who has successfully managed to remain immune of the professionalism here by arriving late, inaugurates the Indian pavilion. I meet Jeetendra Mishra, who is a film promoter from Delhi and has been visiting Cannes for the last five years. "This festival gives us a platform through its market to get buyers, funders for our cinema,’ he says. ‘I have been doing networking all these years and it is yielding results. Other international festivals have film bazaars too but nobody beats Cannes."

A small get-together is organised at the pavilion for people to meet and discuss projects. Jeetendra has initiated a screening of the documentary God' s Own People directed by Nila Madhab Panda, whose I Am Kalam was widely appreciated. God’s Own People is based on the reincarnation of Lord Jagannath and is supported by Orissa government’s culture and tourism department.

Maharashtra booth at Cannes. Source: Meena Karnik

There is also a booth here from Maharashtra. Three Marathi films will be screened at the market this time— Halal by director Shivaji Lotan Patil, Ringan by Makrand Mane  and Vakratunda Mahanagar by Punarvasu Naik. The Maharashtra contingent has not yet arrived and the booth is represented by senior journalist Ashok Rane. "As per my knowledge, there isn’t any other state that is represented by an independent booth," he informs me. Maharashtra government’s culture department deserves a pat for promoting Marathi films on a large scale and pushing Mumbai's Film City as a venue to shoot for filmmakers across the globe. The CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) has its own space. The interaction has not begun in full flow but then these are early days.

But the festival has already got into the groove. The queues are getting longer by the film from day one. Today's film Money Monster directed by Jodie Foster, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts was the talk of the town with full cast present at the festival. But the film that caught most eyeballs and made a lasting impression was I, Daniel Blake directed by Ken Loach. A story of how the state and the bureaucracy humiliate a person and strip him off his self-respect. Based in a town near London, the story had universal appeal and touched a chord with everyone in the auditorium, irrespective of nationalities.

Jodie Foster (2ndL) poses Julia Roberts (L), George Clooney (C), Caitriona Balfe (2ndR) and Dominic West during a photocall for 'Money Monster'. AFP

Two days in and I am getting the hang of the geography of the venue and the grandeur of the festival. When you are in the city of Cannes, even an otherwise irritating combination of chilly winds, sudden showers and harsh sunlight works like a charm.