Five things to do at the Cannes Film Festival

With this year’s Oscars just behind us, it’s time to look forward to the next big event on the film calendar: The Cannes Film Festival 2010. This year’s festival runs from May 12th to May 23rd, and as ever is expected to attract the cream of the acting world, as well as the not so creamy of the sponging world.

You see, while the Cannes Film Festival may be a festival of elite filmmaking, it’s also set in Cannes in the South of France, in a place that even the French find tacky. Cannes is glitzy, it’s showbiz and it’s full of posers, as well as actors. You don’t actually have to be in the film business to take part, and you can mix with the celebrities by just showing a little blagging skill.

Here are some ways you can mingle with the Hollywood greats, swap stories with Brad Pitt and live like Jacques D’Azur.

1 – Become a film director
Now, you don’t actually have to make a film, or even write a script. You just need to make out that you have. You can become a film director at Cannes simply by wearing one of the Cannes badges, which you can get from their website by attending the festival. This badge will grant you access to the festival itself, and to the premiers (of which there are many, and they’re always filled with stars).

2 – Never pay for anything
Generally, food and other essentials in life cost money. In Cannes however they don’t have to. The best hotels will put on spreads, drinks and even assistance for film directors in the business – even if you’re not staying at them! With a little silky speech you can take advantage of this and dine in the best star filled hotels for free, every day. It’s not what you know, or who you know, it’s who they think you are!

3 – Keep accommodation costs down
Obviously you can’t be expected to stay in the hotels for free, that requires experienced blagging skills. So instead you can stay in one of the numerous nearby campsites. They’re very cheap, the weather is excellent and the transport service is first class. No one need know that you slept in a tent while you quiz them about their latest film.

4 – See as many films as you can
Incredibly, filmmakers at Cannes want you to see their films. They’re hoping to secure distribution rights, so you could be important. Therefore you should go to as many screenings as you can, meeting with directors and distributors, making contacts. The more people you meet, the better your time will be. Remember, these are the people who throw the parties in the evenings – the real place to meet the A-List stars. Plus, you never know, when you’re at a swanky party you could end up landing a role in a film just like Jacques D’Azur did when he was at the Carlton hotel. His career started in Cannes, purely by chance, yours could too!

5 – Take business cards
This is essential. You will need business cards to pick up your badge, to enter screenings and to chat with contacts. Take as many as you can afford to print, and if possible – take a few different types. You could be a journalist for a well known DVD reviews website (we know from experience), you could be a director or you could be a distributor. The more you have, the better your chances of successfully mingling with the stars.

If you follow these steps you should have a wonderful Cannes Film Festival this year. Maybe we’ll see you there?

Darren Jamieson

Darren has enjoyed an interest in film for many years, studying the subject at Newport Film School where he worked on the film ‘Cop on the Edge IX: Prelude to Justice‘ in a directing and acting capacity. The official site can be enjoyed here. Darren setup WhatDVD.Net in 2003 to further his love of films and to write passionately about the movies he enjoys, and about those that he doesn’t.

Although his day-to-day activities mean that he now has less time to review movies than he would ideally prefer, he still tries to review new releases, and DVDs from his extensive collection, whenever possible.
view all DVD reviews by Darren Jamieson