🏆 Cannes.
💃🏻 That red carpet.
⭐️ The crowd. The stars. That fleeting moment at the Hotel lobby when you meet the producer you always wanted to meet and you pitch your dream project and …she likes it.
We all dream of that moment. But every year. It becomes reality. From mid-May till the end of May.
But where do you start?
Cannes fever started early this year. So here is our take.
💁🏻♂️ GENERAL SET UP
Go to Cannes to meet producers/actors/ partners from all over the world.
In my opinion, if you have a project set in the UK with all UK cast…going to Cannes is a bit of a waste of time. BUT. If you have an international project, with partners/elements from other parts of the world, Cannes is THE PLACE to be.
It is a place to meet fellow producers.
It is a place to go to amazing parties where la creme de la creme of film-making is in attendance and you never know who you might meet.
Oh yes. It is also a place to watch films if you must :)
🎟 ACCREDITATION (this incredible mystery)
To do anything in Cannes you have to have accreditation.
Normally accreditation (if you start in March) is VERY CHEAP (24 euros this year). And once you are on the system it is very easy to get accreditation as long as you have a few credits on imdb. If you don’t…get some credits or you will 100% get rejected.
Do normal accreditation.
No need for market accreditation especially in your first year.
You will need accreditation to get into the pavilions (which are hosting the film commissions from all over the world and even some big companies) but also to enter the main hotels (where most distributors have offices) as well as the Marche.
You need a separate badge to enter the Marche’. My opinion is: unless you have a film in the last stages of financing or a film to sell, it is pointless to pay £ 700 for a Marche’ badge.
🏨 ACCOMMODATION
Get your accommodation asap. You don’t have to necessarily stay in Cannes. A lot of people take hotels in the nearby towns (Juan Les Pins is really nice and much cheaper normally) if you are on a budget. Hire. Car if you can. The trains are ok but tend to be a bit erratic.
✈️ FLIGHTS
Fly to Nice. Get your flight asap!!!
Don’t leave or you will run out of flights.
Transport to and from the airport is normally by taxi. Try to taxi pool if you can.
🧭 BASIC GEOGRAPHY / MARCHE’ / PAVILLIONS ETC
The festival is based around 4 key areas.
THE PALAIS - which is the big building with the red carpet you see on TV. You will only go there if you get a ticket for a gala screening. To get in a Palais screening you will need an evening dress or a tux. If you have it, bring it with you! If you don’t, you can hire one in there.
THE MARCHE’ - It is the actual film market. As mentioned above, you only need to be there if you already have a meeting with distributors or sales agents. It has its own badge and it's much more expensive. I wouldn’t bother unless you have. Feature film in the final stages of financing.
DO NOT WASTE MONEY ON A MARCHE’ BADGE IF YOU JUST MADE A SHORT~FILM.
But I leave it up to you
THE PAVILLIONS - Are by the beach. Each nation has one. There will be a few big ones (normally US and France are pretty good). The `UK one normally has a terrace and very good masterclasses. Some other ones have good reception parties etc.
THE HOTELS. The main 4 hotels Carlton, Martinez, Grand Hotel and Majestic are taken over for the duration of the festivals by distributors and sales agents. These are where most of the meetings will take place. You will also be able to get the Industry dailies (Variety and Screen International).
The terrace of the Majestic is where most people meet after a long day of meeting.
CAREFUL AS THE COST OF DRINKS IS ASTONISHING :)
FOOD
There are a lot of receptions spread around with several freebie food dished out.
There are some fabulous restaurants to dine in. The cafes and restaurants after the Marche’ tend to be quite good. Again: some of them are quite pricey but quite a few are reasonable. If you are really on a budget there are also some supermarkets where you can just buy a sandwich.
🕺🏻 THE DRESS CODE
During the day I would recommend smart casual. Flat shoes to be able to walk on as you will cover many miles if you go from hotel to hotel on several meetings.
However, in the evening, it’s a different story. You WILL HAVE to dress up. No party will let you in unless you are properly dressed up. Remember that some of the best networking opportunities come at parties. Where you realise you are dancing right next to the sales agent you always wanted to pitch to.
Don’t go overboard. It is a film festival not a fashion show after all…but still. Yet, this is no place where slumming it out is an option.
🙌🏼 Make some contacts.
🎬 Make some films.
🚀 Watch the stars and dream of that day one of your films will be on that famous red carpet
Finally. Have fun.
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