Today, Monday, little by little the thermal sensation of the Cannes Film Festival begins to rise, although there is one day left before it opens. Journalists and movie buyers are starting to arrive, restaurants are filling up, and there are more people with their badges hanging around their necks than older people wandering around.
Because Cannes in France is a kind of Miami in the United States: many Parisians decide, when they retire, to move to this city on the Côte d'Azur, because with what they get by selling their properties in the City of Light, here they have enough to lead a very good life.
Everything becomes more expensive in Cannes for two weeks. For example, the cost of hotel rooms near the Palais des Festivals, which is where almost everything happens for twelve days. A simple, simple room, today costs 380 euros, and outside the Festival window can cost half or a third. This data was corroborated by the same employees of a hotel, and reviewing the reservations of weeks ago.
The 9 jurors, together with the General Delegate and the president of the Festival (on the left). Among them, Damian Szifron. AFP Photo
An ice cream of a bocha -and that the temperature is low thinking that we are about to enter the summer in just over a month, and goes from 11 ° C to 23 ° C - can cost no less than 4 or 5 euros (at the change of Blue, between $ 2,000 and $ 2,500). A Reine pizza (mozzarella and ham) does not fall below 14 euros. More or less, between double and triple that in a pizzeria on Corrientes Street.
The shops of Rue D'Antibes, the street where the big clothing brands are concentrated, proudly wear in their windows the poster of the 76th edition of the most prestigious Festival in the world. Well, you also see the image of Catherine Deneuve, in black and white, in Saint-Tropez, while filming La Chamade (1968), by director Alain Cavalier, and based on the novel by Françoise Sagan, in the windows of macaroni sales houses, bars and restaurants.
People already save a place in front of the red carpet of the Palais des Festivals. AFP Photo
And precisely the daughter of Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni, the actress Chiara Mastroianni, will act as Master of Ceremony and presenter of the 76th edition this Tuesday. The protagonist of Eureka, the film by our compatriot Lisandro Alonso, which will be seen on Friday at Cannes Première, will welcome the jury on the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière of the Palais des Festivals, including Ruben Östlund as president of the jury together with Maryam Touzani, Denis Ménochet, Rungano Nyoni, Brie Larson, Paul Dano, Atiq Rahimi, our compatriot Damián Szifron and Julia Ducournau.
One of the highlights of the Ceremony will be the presence of the guest of honor of the 76th Festival, the American actor and producer Michael Douglas, who at 78 years old will receive a Palme d'Or.
The official poster, with Catherine Deneuve, and a Ferrari, for now, circulating on the Croisette. AFP Photo
Last year, 344 cinemas welcomed thousands of spectators to watch the ceremony live. This year, again, the Opening Ceremony and the opening film (Jeanne du Barry, with Johnny Depp) will be broadcast live in cinemas, an initiative promoted by the Festival de Cannes, together with France Télévisions, the Fédération Nationale des Cinémas Français and the CNC.
Calm before the storm
For now, in the surroundings of the Palais everything is calm. Before a brief storm began – and they announce rain for the time of the opening ceremony, tomorrow Tuesday at 19 p.m. – there were few fans who bet with their metal chairs and stairs to have a privileged place on the Croisette, the coastal street where black cars will arrive and deposit the stars at the entrance to the red carpet.
There are rumors that there will be demonstrations around the Palais. The situation in France is not simple - but, next to ours ... - because of the pension reform, among other issues.
A woman walks her dog on the symbol of the Palme d'Or, in Cannes. Photo Reuters
The prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department has issued a decree banning demonstrations for the entire duration of the festival, and up to one more day, on Sunday, May 28. It is due to "the significant risk of public order problems", and it is known that it will allocate a "reinforcement" of four riot companies, in addition to the Gendarmerie and the Cannes police, which patrol the streets with its 200 agents, on foot, on horseback and with dogs.
Other years snipers were seen stationed even on the roofs of the Palais, guarding everything. This year, just in case, there will be 833 cameras.
Under the slogan The CGT makes its cinema in Cannes, a demonstration is also planned at the weekend, in front of one of the luxury hotels -the Carlton-, on the Croisette, but somewhat away from the fence of the Palais-, and on Sunday a street cinema exhibition, right there.
The Cannes police, in front of the steps. It will be supported by four riot companies. Photo Reuters
But social discontent is not the only one that leads to change.
Without going any further, after being criticized for not highlighting more women in its programming of the official section, from this Tuesday Cannes will beat its own record, with seven films by filmmakers for the Palme d'Or. They will see La Chimera, by Alice Rohrwacher; Club Zero, by Jessica Hausner; L'Ete Dernier, by Catherine Breillat; Anatomie d'une chute, by Justine Triet; Banel & Adama, by Ramata-Toulaye Sy; Le retour, by Catherine Corsini, and Kaouther Ben Hania's documentary Les Filles D'Olfa.
It is 33.33% of the 21 films that will compete for the Palme d'Or, which will award among others Damián Szifron within two Saturdays. Much remains to be seen and, hopefully, to be surprised.
Special Envoy
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