72nd Annual Cannes Film Festival: The Splendors and Miseries
72nd Annual Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, France —The Cannes Film Festival, held every May in France, is often summed up with the phrase "The Splendors and Miseries," borrowed from a famous book. Curious to know why? Join me on a journey through the characters, hidden corners, sumptuous dinners, and lavish parties of this illustrious event. I will unveil the secrets of the red carpet and reveal what truly unfolds behind the glamorous facade.
By Kristina Moskalenko
Arrival and Anticipation
Upon arriving at the Cannes train station, you’re greeted by the sight of a red carpet unfurled right there. One might mistake it for a symbol of grandeur, but it serves a different purpose. This red carpet is reserved for those without invitations to the exclusive soirées and premieres. It offers the common folk a chance to bask in the festival’s splendour —dressed in their finest, they pose for snapshots on this illustrious carpet, having changed in a nearby Starbucks restroom. Thus, the red carpet is theirs for the taking and cleverly angled their photos might look very real on the social media.
The Divided Crowd
It’s disheartening, however, to see everyday French citizens waiting in long lines, rain or shine, outside the Palais des Festivals. They hold signs expressing their love for movies, asking to buy a ticket, hoping to gain entry. Meanwhile, wealthy international visitors breeze past effortlessly.
While most movie lovers are respectful, there’s a proactive group that views sneaking into high-profile private parties as a challenge and a personal victory. They employ various tricks to get past security, such as pretending to be pregnant and needing toilet urgently or claiming to be friends with someone famous. Sometimes they drop the name of a lesser-known filmmaker or a boxer like David Haye, hoping the security won’t recognize them. This tactic occasionally works, allowing them to sneak in and to capture images of extravagant banquets on Instagram.
Inside the Parties
Once inside, these guests quickly take photos of menu boards and floral arrangements, broadcasting them to create the illusion of attending. This eccentric facet of Cannes highlights the difference between the red carpet luminaries and industry stalwarts who are less swayed by glitz and glamour. Celebrities often attend parties solely for photo opportunities, making fleeting appearances before sidestepping selfie requests.
But when the A-listers are gone, every party discovers its own “star” battalion — a group of young women who steal the show with their twerking, fuelled by champagne. Such dancing isn’t usually expected from those wearing expensive Chopard necklaces, yet even at Chopard parties, you might see these moves.
Dancing at the Love Party, Chopard 2019. Click for the twerk video.
The Evolution of Soirées
The landscape of soirées has also transformed, adopting a more budget-conscious and trend-focused ambiance reminiscent of London’s hipster haven, Shoreditch, rather than the opulent banquets of the past. For instance, this year for Chopard event the La Palestre arena has been transformed into a chic haven with stylish pink hues, golden film, and strategically placed mirrors to enhance the dazzle. It’s an ideal backdrop for the perfect selfie. The dance floor, adorned with artificial cherry blossoms and enveloped in menthol cigarette smoke, sets the stage for Mariah Carey herself, lip-syncing to the crowd before launching into a flawless live performance.
DJ Cassidy maintains the pulsating rhythm as Madame Scheufele, bedecked in neon pink, succumbs to the allure of the dance floor. Champagne flows freely, cigars are indulged, and those who are disinclined to twerk choose to dazzle with radiant highlighters, plunging necklines, and exquisite jewelry — ingredients essential for a soirée of distinction, just like any Chopard event.
The Struggle of the Uninvited
Outside, those not invited to the party stand in line, hoping to get in. Among them is a woman with bright red hair, sparkling with interest and confidence. Spotting someone who might be a journalist, she approaches, asking, “Who’s your invite? Can you add me to the list? I’ll accompany you.” Despite being rebuffed, she persists, citing connections to the Russian elite in London and dangling promises of future invitations to esteemed events at Christie’s auction house.
Due to a surge in questionable attendees, esteemed historical venues like the Château de la Napoule have chosen to bow out of hosting parties during the festival. These halls have seen their floors trodden upon, shrubbery despoiled, glassware shattered, and priceless artworks tucked away, reminiscent of measures during the tumultuous Italian occupation of World War II. Now, they prefer more manageable events like weddings and Cannes Lions.
A Rainy Red Carpet
Despite organizers’ efforts to maintain decorum, red carpet affairs sometimes veer into pandemonium. Picture this: I’m walking on the rainy red carpet to see a documentary about Diego Maradona. The last person on this famous carpet is a young blonde woman in an open and revealing green dress. Spinning around, she sometimes looks like she might fall but keeps going, blowing kisses to the cameras. She seems to have the time of her life, appearing live on the big screen inside the cinema and on screens outside. Photographers wonder if she is another blogger who will want to buy her photos from them later. So they snap. Guards try to guide her to her seat, but she insists the show must go on, lifting her dress more bravely than Marilyn Monroe did. The too familiar to every female question “What colour is your underwear right now?” gets answered not just once, but few times.
Later, I find myself near her as she converses in Russian, dubbing her in my mind as the “Green Russian.” Have you seen one?
Glamour and Grit
Meanwhile, the cinematic offering proved to be a masterpiece. Despite the absence of Maradona, convalescing from surgery.
“For me, it’s not all glitz, glam, and parties, — one attendee shares. — There’s serious work involved. I serve as the ambassador for numerous brands, showcasing their dresses at events. Some of these gowns weigh up to 10 kilograms, adding literal weight to my whirlwind schedule. It’s a non-stop sprint from one engagement to the next, all while ensuring I’m impeccably styled with professional makeup and hair. Now, picture navigating all of this amidst the relentless downpours we’ve endured this year!”
Despite the glittering facade, many mourn the transformation of the festival’s soirées: a decline in celebrity sightings and an influx of bloggers, eroding the once-exclusive aura. Kendall Jenner’s bold neon pink gown at the AmFAR gala, timed with the debut of the Giambattista Valli and H&M collaboration, serves as a poignant symbol of this shift.
Some traditions however endure, such as the prohibition of sneakers on the red carpet, though there are modern concessions. Women can now wear flats, but arriving without Louboutins may still lead to being redirected to less glamorous entrances.
The Closing Act
Rumours have emerged suggesting that certain locals are scrimping and saving for an entire year just to indulge in the opulence of the Cannes Film Festival. They’d rent a flashy car, don pristine white jeans and pointed shoes, all to bask in the spotlight and live the high life, if only for a fleeting week.
It only looks logical in these circumstances that the dark comedy «Parasite» by the South Korean director Bong Joon-ho won Festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or. The film talks about disparity between rich and poor, reality and a dream, class conflict, social inequality and wealth disparity. Things that you see in full bloom every May right in the heart of Cannes.
The day following the festival’s culmination, Cannes wears a desolate air. Orchid beds and mirrors vanish from the beaches, the JW Mariott’s rooftop stage dismantled, and poster stands stripped from the Carlton hotel.
Seasoned attendees mull over the dismantling of festival infrastructure, likening it to disassembling a movie set. It serves as a poignant reminder that cinema, for all its societal resonance, just like the festival itself, is rooted in illusions and dreams.
