I’ve had a relatively uninteresting few days viewing-wise. To be honest, I haven’t actually seen anything. Friday brought about the press conference of the wonderful Drive, where I got to ask Nicolas Winding Refn a question. (Watch from 31:40; and apologies in advance for my bad camera angle.) I must say, it was pretty surreal later on looking up at the TV in the wifi room while working to [...]

Alongside the films in Official Selection, Cannes provides numerous initiatives to promote up-and-coming film-makers in both professional and amateur worlds. Village International and Marche du Film run alongside the festival for industry professionals to network and new film-makers to gain crucial contacts. The Short Film Corner also falls into this, with films in and out of Official Competition gaining critical exposure.

The Cinefondation Selection program looks towards promoting the work of [...]

Since Cannes is on the home stretch for another year, many festival-goers remain baffled as screenings of films within the Official Selection deliver mixed reactions. The biggest head-scratcher is why certain films are in certain areas; what differentiates films in Official Competition from those in Un Certain Regard? Do the powers that be view films different to the press and then differently again to the public?

The Festival de Cannes website [...]

I had high expectations today as I planned to see three films in Official Competition. The day started nice and early with the screening of Pedro Almodovar’s latest La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In). I excitedly walked into the Grand Theatre Lumiere for the first time… and it was amazing. Absolutely huge. I sat up high in the balcony and it ended up filling out just about [...]

Better start today – I got up on time! In doing so, I amusingly discovered a room-mate still hadn’t come home from the night before (a Parisian scriptwriter hoping to find a director for her film – what a party animal!). For me, today was the Day of Shorts. First up was the press screening of all the short films in competition; I got there early, like I you have [...]

Last night ended up being a trip back in time. First, I was led around in circles before heading to the screening of Cannes classic Le Sauvage [1975], but felt privileged as soon as Catherine Deneuve – the film’s star, now pushing 70 – gracefully walked through the door. It was her everyone wanted to see, past fellow heavyweights Costa-Gavras and director Jean-Paul Rappeneau. One girl bravely stopped her in [...]