Cannes Film Festival 2007: A First Hand Experience

Last week saw my first, and hopefully not last, trip to the Cannes Film Festival. Boarding an EasyJet flight in the company of a wave of industry protagonists hoping that this year will be a year when great things happen, it occurred to me that I had little right to be joining such an exclusive gathering of film professionals. I was there as part of a familiarization field trip exercise, organised and paid for as part of the Film Business course that I am currently undertaking at Cass Business School.

The Cannes film festival was founded in 1939, and in this, its 60th run, the publicity for the event reached new levels. But while the festival and the star studded red carpet grabs the media spotlight, the most important aspect of Cannes for most people there is what goes on behind the scenes. In hired hotel rooms and lobbies the Cannes film market is in full swing, with sales companies pitching their biggest acquisitions to international distributors all over the world, studios anxiously trying to squeeze every last drop of awareness from their extravagant marketing campaigns, and people like me trying to latch on to something, anything to go along for the ride.

In this respect the film industry lives and breathes for Cannes. Energy and vigour crackle in the air. Cannes, for lack of a better word, is live and everyone is looking to tap into the current. None was quite so successful as Jerry Seinfeld, who in promoting DreamWorks' new film 'Bee Movie', literally 'buzzed' into Cannes down a 200 ft zip wire from atop the Carlton hotel dressed as a bee.

Our accommodation for the week was a ten-bedroom, beautifully furnished French Villa, complete with a swimming pool and games room and only a ten minute walk from the Croisette where it all happens. They say film stars live the high life. Well I could argue that film business students do so too. That evening we collected our Cannes badges from the Palais and had a brief stroll through town, passing the red carpet and down the Riviera. The bay was a mass of boats. There was money in town.

Every morning was spent reading the daily trade publications over coffee and a croissant. The daily editions of Screen International and Variety, while chock full of adverts that are more important and get more readership attention than the articles, delivered an interesting overview of the main news stories and enabled me to follow, to some extent, what was going on around me. One thing that struck me from the outset was the overwhelming volume of films in Cannes. Although there were undoubtedly some fantastic films, the thing that got my attention was the significant amount of rubbish on offer – 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead' – Anyone?

I also used this time to put together a plan of action, identifying what companies to talk to, what about and whether they had screenings I was interested in. As it was the first day of the festival I decided to get to grips with where everything was and how it all worked. Lined up along the sea front are lots of white tents, the base of operations for different countries' national film bodies, each flying their national flag with pride.

If the end of day one was spent in feverish excitement at the endless possibilities that may present themselves in the coming week, day two slightly undermined these aspirations.

I decided to investigate the British Pavilion and get a feel for the British presence in Cannes. Only they weren't quite prepared and when I asked for a list of all the British films showing in Cannes, a frantic five minute search revealed that they needed more copies. Next door was the American pavilion. Apart from being notably bigger it also seemed much livelier with more things going on. Sensing a valuable networking opportunity, I headed in only to be apprehended at the door. “I'm sorry sir but you must have membership to be allowed in.” To the tune of $50, I wasn't prepared to pay and tried to comfort myself with the fact that anything the Americans can do the British can do better, although I some what doubted my instincts.

Having been rejected by the Americans and messed about by the British, I tried my luck with the sales companies. All boxed in temporary offices inside the Palais, with lush fittings and furnishings, plasma screens and posters of their films, the sales companies compete directly alongside each other as they look to sell off rights to distribute their films in territories across the world. A poster caught my eye and I went to inquire about tickets to their market screening that afternoon.

I politely introduced myself to the individual on the stand and told him that I was a film business student from London here as part of the course to learn how Cannes operates. His smile turned and he made a flimsy excuse about being busy and left hurriedly, leaving me to stand awkwardly for two minutes before moving on to the next booth.

Had I done something horribly wrong or offended him in some way? Experience has led me to believe that I just wasn't worth his time. Still at the time of the screening I went along anyway, just in case. When it became apparent that the screen was half empty I was allowed in. Although the day had been what most would describe as a failure, it did nothing to undermine the group's spirit and enthusiasm to get back out and try again.

The honest approach adopted on day one had got us nowhere. Unfortunately, I can't pride myself on being great at the art of blagging, something which would really have made a difference out in Cannes. However, for the sake of the cause one had to be inventive. Dropping the name of the UKFC and Skillset, the parent sponsors of the Film Business Academy, is enough to confirm your suspicions that it really isn't what you know but more who you know and what you have to offer.

Unless you have money or are working for someone who does, then you would be lucky enough to be given the time of day by the feckless sales agents. But tell them you are at Cannes on behalf of the UKFC and they suddenly become much more inclined to have a chat. In many cases a chat is just a chat but occasionally you can wangle an invite to the odd market screening. But more often than not you get rebuffed with a shake of the head and a snide comment: “Buyers only”.

Really, the only way to get anywhere in Cannes is to have the right badge. In essence, Cannes is a hierarchy of badges and passes, all colour coded and readily identifiable by everyone you meet. Sellers only really want to interact with buyers and vice versa and a quick look at my badge rules me out as neither.

After that it boils down to the art and science of negotiation, but like the film industry as a whole, it proves very hit and miss. This melange of competing hierarchies continues through the festival. The larger, more prominent studio companies wouldn't be seen dead operating in the Palais market; instead they work out of first floor hotel rooms in the Majestic and Carlton.

The media does a fantastic job of portraying the glamour of Cannes, expressed through the excitement of the red carpet, celebrity appearances, and lavish and expensive parties. The films in competition garner a sense of achievement and fascination and it is thoroughly enjoyable getting wrapped up in vainly trying to pick the winner of the Palme D'Or. This year's festival selection has been acknowledged as one of the strongest fields in recent years.

It's not just the films in contention for the main prize that create ripples in Cannes. This year Michael Moore delivered “an affecting and entertaining dissection of the American health care industry”, with his latest documentary 'Sicko'. The ultra cool and uber smooth stars of 'Oceans Thirteen' lit up the red carpet for the film's world premiere. Angelina Jolie made an impact with her convincing and moving portrayal of the wife of Daniel Pearl in the sad saga of the slain Wall Street Journal reporter, 'A Mighty Heart'. But they were all but outdone by the boys from U2 who, in a festival first, played an unscheduled concert on the red carpet steps, much to the enthusiasm of filmgoers and fans alike.

These are the stories that hit the papers, which everyone knows about; it's what goes on behind the scenes that is ultimately why Cannes is so important. For the studios, Cannes is just another stop on the marketing bandwagon; with access to unrivaled publicity before a film's worldwide release. For the majority of independent films in the market, the only audience outside of Cannes is on DVD. This leaves around sixty to one hundred classy independent films for which Cannes is the ultimate showcase and the ticket to worldwide theatrical release. It is these films that drive the market. Without them Cannes would become just another accolade to add to the film poster.