Cannes I look at it without feeling dizzy? No I Canne’t. Sorry not sorry. I mean désolé pas désolé.
So many Cannes jokes! And even more if you’re a Geordie francophile waving off your movie-loving beloved as they head to France this May (“Gan Canne-y, pet!”)
The Cannes film Festival runs from 17-28 May this year. Scroll down for more on what their new poster represents this year (I do love it, once I’m safely sitting down).
The red carpet that leads up the steps to the hope of being in the limelight. A poetic celebration of the insuperable quest for expression and freedom. An upward journey to contemplate the past and move ahead towards the promise of a revival.
“Just as the unforgettable Truman embodied by the one-and-only Jim Carrey whose fingers brush his horizon, the Festival de Cannes takes the extreme nature of the world in its stride in order to grasp it again. The climate crisis, humanitarian disasters, and armed conflicts… the reasons for concerns are numerous. As in 1939 and in 1946, the Festival is once again asserting its strong conviction that art and cinema are where contemplation and the renewal of society unravel. And yet it remains faithful to its founding commitment enshrined in article 1 of its rules: « The purpose of the Festival International du Film, in a spirit of friendship and universal cooperation, is to reveal and showcase quality films in the interest of the evolution of the art of cinematography ». Peter Weir and Andrew Niccol’s The Truman Show (1998) is a modern reflection of Plato’s cave and the decisive scene urges viewers to not only experience the border between reality and its representation but to ponder the power of fiction, between manipulation and catharsis. Just as Truman escapes falsehood as he rises, the Festival, with its famous ascending red carpet, offers viewers the truth of the artists when they enter the theater.”
I’m not going this year (I attended in 2018) but if you’re lucky enough to be there this year I hope you have an amazing time, in spite of / because of me not being there. (You can read my articles for press first timers from my 2018 visit, though please be aware I haven’t updated them, or been back since. Cannes 2018 — Lost in Film, Lost in France and my Cannes film Festival quick tips)