The splashy parties are in full swing, as my colleague discovered this weekend. Meanwhile, "Footnote", a terrific Israeli black comedy screened in competition, has created a passionate Anglo-French divide.
With little sleep, long lines for press screenings, and too many greasy meals on the run, journalists are already complaining of Cannes fatigue. But the first French film in competition, Maiwenn's "Polisse", was loud enough to wake anyone up.
Far from the red carpet, there are the lesser-known actors who come to Cannes to hustle up contacts and self-promote. We caught up with 30-year-old Tony Mpoudja, who told us about his experience as a black actor in France's very white film industry.
There's a festive atmosphere outside at Cannes this year. Inside the screening rooms, it's another story, with a pair of Anglophones getting the competition off to a bleak, disturbing start -- with very different results.
Cannes has begun. The proof? Journalists elbowing each other to get into the morning press screening of Woody Allen's “Midnight in Paris” -- and with good reason. The movie is a fresh, fast-moving ode to Paris and the pursuit of fantasy.
It’s the calm before the (hopefully figurative) storm here in Cannes one day before the festival kicks off. But last-minute preparations are underway, and there's excitement in the air -- especially since this year, the big names are back.
A rather apolitical-looking Cannes selection got a fierce shot of politics this past weekend, when films from two jailed Iranian directors -- Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof -- were added to the line-up.
An unusual-sounding (as in silent and black-and-white) French film, "The Artist", has been added to the main competition line-up. Meanwhile, "The Beloved", the new movie from hip French auteur Christophe Honoré will close the festival.
What stands out among films outside the central line-up this year? Woody Allen in Paris (with First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy), President Sarkozy skewered onscreen, a teen romance by Gus Van Sant, and the latest from French heavyweight André Téchiné.
Robert De Niro will be presiding over a typically international jury mixing glamorous actors, well-regarded industry professionals, and a literary figure with a serious film legacy. Will they agree on the winners?
