The
Cannes Film Festival - le Festival International du Film de Cannes
By Philip
Suter
The
Cannes
Film Festival (le Festival international du film de Cannes)
is held in May every year and in 2007 it will be the 60th festival.
The
history of the Cannes Film Festival goes back to 1939 when Jean Zay, the French
minister for Public Instruction and the Arts (Ministère de l'Instruction Publique
et des Beaux-Arts), proposed a "creation of an international film event in France".
Cannes
was chosen for its "sunshine and enchanting setting" according to the minister.
The reason to set up a Festival in France was as a response for the effect of
Mussolini's fascist take over of the Venice Film Festival. Unfortunately because
of the Second World War the festival did not commence till the September 20, 1946
and was held at the former Casino de Cannes. As from 1951 the month was changed
to May and it now runs for two weeks. It has run every year since 1946 with the
only exception being 1948 and 1950. Every year there are thousands of movie makers
who go to Cannes accompanied by nearly 4,000 journalists.
The
most prestigious award given out at Cannes is the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm)
for the best film. This non-public Festival is attended by numerous film stars
and is a popular venue for movie producers to launch their new films and attempt
to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the world.
It
is a fascinating experience to spend part of the day or evening there soaking
up the atmosphere and although restaurant, hotel and bar prices are higher than
normal, it is still possible to eat and drink at "normal" prices in some of the
establishments away from the "main arena" that is the section along the beach
- La Croisette.
Naturally
hotel beds are at a premium. If you walk along the La Croisette in the early evening
you will find early evening television shows being transmitted by channels like
TF1 and Canal+ and as dusk draws in the visitors to the evening film showing
in the Palais des Festivals et des Congres start arriving. They are dressed in:
- dinner jackets - smart dresses and the film stars and their entourage arrive
in a fleet of cars picking them up from their hotels and delivering them to the
red carpeted steps. The cars are normally supplied by a major French car manufacturer.
Men have to look smart and wear a tie, otherwise they might not be admitted.
When
it is dark there is usually a public screening on the beach with a giant screen.
It is a fabulous setting with the sea beyond and lazar lights illuminating the
entire bay and the yachts and boats anchored in it. This can certainly be an interesting
(and inexpensive) way to pass a few hours and if you don't know who is in the
chamfered driven cars, there are still newsstands open where you can buy one of
the popular "people's lives - celebrity" magazines.
The
hundreds of film screenings that take place during the festival are not only for
the privileged. There are screenings across town as well as the open air screenings.
A visitor can get information from the Tourist Office.
The 59th Festival
de Cannes was held on the 17th to 28th May 2006
Ken
Loach the veteran director won the 2006 Palme D'Or at Cannes for his
film The Wind That Shakes The Barley.(Le Vent se lève) It beat 19 other
films. The film is about the early days of the IRA and stars Cillian Murphy and
Liam Cunningham as two brothers in early 1920s Ireland, when volunteer guerrilla
fighters rose up against the British Black and Tans.
The
Grand Prix was won by Flandres by Bruno Dumont. Andrea Arnold, a new director,
won the Jury Prize( Prix du Jury) for Red Road, starring Kate Dickie as
a CCTV operator on a Glasgow, Scotland council estate who spots a man from her
past in video footage
Some further information about Cannes: It is described by some as one of the
classiest resorts on the Cote d’Azur, although very expensive and having one of
the longest shopping streets in Europe, you can still find a reasonably priced
hotel and meals locally.
It
is has a picturesque old town overlooking the town. It has wonderful sandy beaches
that are accessible from the main promenade “La Croisette” and at either end these
beaches are public beaches. The area in between on La Croisette is full of beach
restaurants and although you can walk past them on the sand if you want to sun
bathe, you have to pay to use the facilities (loungers - chairs - umbrellas).
There
is also a working fishing port contrasted by private moorings from some the most
expensive yachts in the world.
If
you are staying in the South of France in May a visit to the film festival makes
great entertainment and can be for FREE!
In
the same month you can also watch the Monaco Grand Prix - Very expensive
and the less expensive Historic Monaco Grand Prix - Grand Prix de Monaco Historique
that is held every other year
Philip
Suter is a Director of jml Property Services; http://www.jmlproperty.co.uk
a UK based company offering Insurance products on line at http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk
and a holiday home advertising service http://www.jmlvillas.comand
management training within the uk. He a travel writer and is a very experienced
property consultant with over 30 years work in the Residential letting business
in the UK and served on the National Council of ARLA. He is a Fellow of the National
Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and a Member of The association of Residential
Letting Agents (ARLA)
Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_Suter
The
information supplied on this page is by a third party and jml Property Services
do not take any responsibility to its accuracy ©jmlpropertyservices
11/06
61st
Festival
de Cannes: from 14th to 25th May 2008
The
Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or was won by the French production Entre les murs
(The Class) on the 25th May 2008. The film, directed by Laurent Cantet, used teachers
and students to chronicle a year in the life of an inner-city school. This is
the first time a French film has won the Palme d'Or since Sous le Soleil de Satan
by Maurice Pialat in 1987
Grand
Prix GOMORRA de / by Matteo Garrone
Prize
of the 61st Festival de Cannes ex-aequo Catherine Deneuve dans / for UN CONTE
DE NOËL de / by Arnaud DESPLECHIN Clint Eastwood pour / for L’ÉCHANGE (The Exchange)
Award
for the Best Director ÜÇ MAYMUN (Three Monkeys / Les Trois Singes) de / by Nuri
Bilge Ceylan
Jury
Prize IL DIVO de / by Paolo Sorrentino Prix d'interprétation masculine Benicio
Del Toro dans / for CHE de / by Steven SODERBERGH
Best
Performance for an Actress Sandra Corveloni dans / for LINHA DE PASSE de / by
Walter SALLES, Daniela THOMAS
Award
for the Best Screenplay LE SILENCE DE LORNA de / by Jean-Pierre et Luc DARDENNE
Benicio
del Toro won the prize for best actor for his lead role in Guerrilla, Steven Soderbergh's
biopic of Che Guevara
The
President of the 2008 jury was the American actor Sean Penn
______________________________________________
60th
Festival de Cannes: from 16th to 27th May 2007
Romania
wins major prizes at 2007 Cannes Film Festival
The
Palme d'Or, went to Cristian Mungiu for "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,"
described as an unsparing yet humane look at life during the dictatorship of Nicolae
Ceausescu. It follows the ordeal of two female university students as one tries
to help the other obtain an illegal abortion. Cristian Mungiu's film had critical
support from the start and the The audience in the Palais des Festivals was audibly
delighted by Mungiu's victory. The jury for Un Certain Regard, gave its highest
honour to "California Dreamin,' " a first feature by Cristian Nemescu set in Romania
during the Kosovo war of 1999. Cristian Nemescu died in a car accident in 2006
at the age of 27.
Diane
Kruger was the Master of Ceremonies for the 60th Festival de Cannes. She welcomed
the
President Stephen Frears and his Jury onto the stage of the Palais des Festivals
on May 16th 2007. She also hosted the Closing Ceremony, on Sunday May 27th, during
which the Awards will be announced.
Meanwhile
early in 2007, the town of cannes and the Palais des Festivals has launched
an exciting programme to mark the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Cannes
film festival. In 2007 a series of screenings of old films tracing the history
of cinema on the Croisette will be shown several times a month at various venues.
Entrance to these films will be free from 6pm and open to all, subject to availability.
As part of the
60th Celebrations the city of Cannes will be showing some of the biggest festival
winning films including - Death in Venice, Easy Rider, MASH, Taxi Driver, Apocalyspe
Now, La Ville est Belle and Cinema Paradiso. There will be about 60 films played
across the year at various cinemas throughout Cannes including La Licorne, Studio
13, Miramar, Le Raimu and Alexandra 111. There
will also be seven "Red carpet" screenings in the Grand Auditorium.
Bono
of U2 brought Cannes to standstill in the early hours of Sunday 20th May with
a concert performed on top of the red carpeted steps leading to the Palais
des Festivals. Bono yelled "Bonne anniversaire Cannes",
just before 1 am wishing the festival a 60th birtday greeting. Bono and U2 was
there for the screening of "U2 3D" their concert film that has been
filmed in 3D. The film was scheduled to be screened at 12.30 am, but was delayed
by the impromptu concert. The audience were handed a pair of 3D glassed to watch
the film and guests included Prince Albert of Monaco and German film maker Wim
Wenders.
The
President of the jury was British Director Stephen Frears.
From
the archives:
59th
Festival de Cannes: from 17th to 28th May 2006
The
59th Festival de Cannes was held on the 17th to 28th May 2006 Ken Loach
the veteran director won the 2006 Palme D'Or at Cannes for his film The
Wind That Shakes The Barley.(Le Vent se lève) It beat 19 other films. The
film is about the early days of the IRA and stars Cillian Murphy and Liam Cunningham
as two brothers in early 1920s Ireland, when volunteer guerrilla fighters rose
up against the British Black and Tans.
The Grand Prix was won by Flandres by Bruno Dumont. Andrea Arnold, a new
director, won the Jury Prize( Prix du Jury) for Red Road, starring Kate
Dickie as a CCTV operator on a Glasgow, Scotland council estate who spots a man
from her past in video footage
Some
of the earlier years winning films and Directors:
2005:
L' Enfant - Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne
2004:
Fahrenheit 9/11 - Michael Moore
2003:
Elephant - Gus Van Sant
2002:
The Pianist - Roman Polanski
2001:
La Stanza del Figlio (The Son's Room) - Nanni Moretti
2000:
Dancer in the Dark - Lars von Trier
1999:
Rosetta - Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne
1998:
Mia Aioniotita Kai Mia Mera (Eternity and a Day) - Theo Angelopoulos
1997:
Ta'm e Guilass (A Taste of Cherry) Unagi (The Eel) - Abbas Kiarostami & Shohei
Imamura
1996:
Secrets & Lies - Mike Leigh
1995:
Underground - Emir Kusturica
1994:
Pulp Fiction - Quentin Tarantino
1993:
The Piano Ba Wang Bie Ji - Jane Campion & Kaige Chen
1992:
Den Goda Viljan (The Best Intentions) - Bille August
1991:
Barton Fink - Joel Coen
1990:
Wild at Heart - David Lynch
1989:
Sex, Lies, and Videotape - Steven Soderbergh
See
Historic
Monaco Grand Prix - Grand Prix de Monaco Historique
See
also Holiday Home Rental in Biot, near Antibes, Cannes Nice, South of France
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information about the South of France Visit our Fact file Page
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