Our First Time At Cannes: Review

Marjolein, your Amsterdam GrungeCake reporter, has flown to Cannes to go see some movies and experience the Madness of the Cannes Film Festival.

Once a year, the movie industry moves to the South of France. Directors, script writers, producers, distributors and investors come together, hoping to find a buyer, investor or project on the film market. In the mean time, there’s a competition where movies compete for the Palm d’Or and a competition for ‘Un Certain Regard’. Parallel to these competitions, there’s also the Director’s Fortnight and the Critics’ Week, they are independent competitions organized by French filmmakers and French critics. And then there are also the movies shown outside of competition, important new releases that have their premiere on the festival. Celebrities and VIPs flock to the French Riviera to attend the premieres and parties. Huge yachts with private helicopters carry their precious load to Cannes, Saint Tropez, Cap d’Antibes or Monaco.

So, what does the Film Festival of Cannes have to offer this year? The film market is busy as always, but some of the usual American participants seem to be missing. Going to Cannes isn’t cheap, prices of flights and accommodation soar during this season and in these digital times a lot of business can be done online. In the competition, there are movies like The Sea of Trees by Gus van Sant, Dheepan by Jacques Audiard and Macbeth by Justin Kurzel, the jury will have a tough job this year! Speaking of which, the jury seems to be very versatile this year, the Coen Brothers are accompanied by Rokia Troaré, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rossy DePalma, Guillermo Del Toro, Sophie Marceau, Xavier Dolan and Sienna Miller. Lamb by Yared Zeleke, Taklub by Brillante Mendoza and Maryland by Alice Winocour are some of the movies that hope to get a certain regard. Mad Max by George Miller and the latest movie by Woody Allen, Irrational Man, are some of the movies shown out of competition.

I will keep you posted as the madness continues!