Everything moves so fast on the Croisette, that sometimes I imagine I’ve been here for a year, others that I landed just five minutes ago. But in that time, somewhere in between, I’ve definitely watched loads of films, met interesting people and attended a few parties. So here’s a recap of… only the last 48 hrs?! Incroyable, I tell you.
If you’re wondering how The Chronology of Water, the feature directorial debut by Kristen Stewart is, I’ll tell you in one word — incroyable! And the Chilean ‘Travesti-Western’ The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Le mystérieux regard du flamant rose) by Diego Céspedes — incroyable! And the weather this year in Cannes — incroyable. You get the gist. I’ll stop while I’m ahead.
It has been a year of highs and lows for me at the festival. But since reaching Cannes, I’ve got to say the highs far outweigh the lows. It must be the reason why, year after year, I leave home thinking this is going to be my very last year on the Croisette, and then again year after year, I return home vowing to come back next year. To ride this merry-go-round all over again.
Highlights have been many so far, and mind you there is still a highly coveted red carpet gala to be attended for yours truly, along with two parties by cinematic organizations in the Gulf and a Hong Kong night still to be had. But among the noteworthy, I have had some wonderful chance meetings but have also viewed some great, and at times unexpected cinematic finds. Plus, add to the mix the publication, today, of a piece that took all of me for upwards of a week to put together, which has turned out quite well. You can find this focus on Moroccan filmmakers here on Screen International. Hurray for Casawood — you know, Casablanca and Hollywood coming together to make some great cinema happen.
Smart conversations
A bit of a follow up on the challenges of securing interviews for us journalists, which has also been highlighted in a few publications. Well, I sat down for some unexpectedly calm moments with two different publicists, who each work with high profile projects on opposite sides of the world and found out some very cool information within those chats. One person pointed out to the hazards of putting talent in front of a journalist and admonished that celebrity publicists often avoid sit-downs for their clients with a journalist they aren’t 100% sure of, or haven’t worked before with. “Each time you do that, it’s potential for a disaster,” this person told me. Makes sense, as talent can go rogue at times and a publicist is getting paid by the celebrities to avoid that happening — the irony of that statement is not lost on me. I spend my time, when away from writing, mentoring filmmakers on the nuances of press etiquette and I know exactly what a wrong statement, even a sentence told as a joke, can mean when taken out of context, particularly in this age of cancel culture.
Could not resist a selfie with Marco Calvani (left) in Cannes, at the Netflix cocktails
The other person I spoke with also explained something which is very important to keep in mind during festivals, and the reason why critics will always have badge priority at these events. What most films come to Cannes, Venice etc for are reviews — possibly positive reviews, but any review really — and some trade coverage. The sales agents and local distributors would all rather hold on the feature pieces and interviews until a film is in cinemas for all to watch. As crowded as Cannes feels this year, it’s certainly a microcosm version of world audiences, less than a grain of sand in the great scheme of things as far as numbers of viewers worldwide. So why write up big pieces on films that cannot be viewed by anyone yet? Makes much more sense to hold that coverage and see it published in a few months, once the film hits the theaters. I have to agree on both these points and will keep them in mind when asking for my next one-on-one with talent. And get a kind, but firm “no” in return. Those candid conversations sitting at a cafe, or on the steps of an interview venue, always turn into great magical moments for me, and Cannes is filled with those encounters.
When fashion rules go out the window
Chanel. Yes, please
Which is whenever Kristen Stewart is in the house! She’s the one who has worn sneakers in Cannes, took off her pointy stilettos to climb up the red carpeted stairs one year barefoot and now wears a cap, albeit is a pretty, white satin cap, to the premiere of her feature directorial debut in Un Certain Regard. Stewart is a style rockstar and whatever she does, the world will stop, watch and listen because like it or not, we are in the presence of an extraordinary talent and an incroyable human being. The Chronology of Water is a cinematic retelling of the memoirs by Lidia Yuknavitch, a writer who once studied with American novelist Ken Kesey, but also a promising future Olympic swimmer who lost her scholarship due to addiction and the survivor of sexual abuse by her own father. If you think that story may not be watchable on the big screen, I’m here to tell you it is. And somehow Stewart, along with her phenomenal leading lady, English actress Imogen Poots, make it a spellbinding work of the Seventh Art, one you can’t help but watch from the edge of your seat.
Cannes parties and soirees
It cannot be Cannes without parties, events and soirees and this year it has been no exception. But aside from queen Angelina Jolie hitting the Chopard Awards on the Carlton Beach in her white Tom Ford and dozens of carats of diamonds, there have been parties that were accessible to mere humans like me, and thankfully a bit more casual. At the Netflix party I met Marco Calvani, who stars in the streamer’s sitcom, with a serious twist, The Four Seasons. We even took a selfie together and Calvani is not only a cool actor but also a talented filmmaker and respected playwright. He also hails from Tuscany like me, so I’m a little biased in saying he plays my favorite character on the Netflix series, as the loose cannon of a husband to another powerhouse, Colman Domingo. And The Four Seasons is packed with brilliant thespians so calling favorites is not easy.
A couple of nights ago I went to a reception for the Marrakech International Film Festival and chatted with friends and colleagues there. Between their palpable love of cinema and their respect for each other and the people they come into contact with, the festival has become a personal favorite and the party was also a wonderfully invigorating meeting point.
And last, but not least in the list of parties I attended all within a 48 hour period was a garden reception at the Carlton, organized by Film AlUla. Among the attendees, Faisal Baltyuor — the new Executive Chairman of the Red Sea Film Foundation. Coupled with the recent announcement of Finn Halligan, Screen International’s executive editor of reviews and new talent, joining the Red Sea IFF as their new director of international programming, this makes the film event in Jeddah supercool. I might have to set foot there again, in early December when their next edition takes place.
Also spotted, filmmakers and producers, as well as Saudi Film Commission General Manager Abduljalil Al-Nasser. And of course, Zaid Shaker, Acting Executive Director and Mahsa Motamedi, Director of Marketing and Business Development — both from Film AlUla — along with Abeer Al Akel, the CEO of the Royal Commission for AlUla (photographed above).
All images used with permission.