My Week at the Cannes Film Festival ✨

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most magical experiences I’ve ever had. Granted, I’ve never been to Disney World, but I’m pretty sure it’s on par with Cannes. I was able to attend as a “film professional,” a pass that helped rejuvenate my confidence during this stressful, soul-crushing time of finding a job that aligns with my passions and morals. Although Cannes is two weeks long, I experienced it for five days. Of the entire festival, I explored maybe 30% and had access to probably less than that. Award shows, galas, yacht parties, flowing champagne, caviar on crackers, hobnobbing with notable faces – that’s all saved for badge access that my friends and I couldn’t figure out for the life of us. That’s probably because the festival has an air of secrecy to it. Those higher-tier badged people didn’t even cross our paths, even when we tried to force it by going to Carlton for dinner to network. There, I witnessed my friends comically astounded that they just paid 24 euros alone for water. (They forgot to heed my warning to always order “une carafe d’eau” in France). 

Cannes’ exclusivity is felt even while present at the festival. We were finding out the winners, guests, and news in real-time with the public. I waited in line for two hours in hopes of getting in the door of Quentin Tarantino’s Q&A and learned with everyone else through Twitter that he was showing “Rolling Thunder” (1977). The only news I received before the public was that all of us waiting in line should just give up because the theatre was full. At Cannes, there are gates on gates, winding lines, packs of security, and badge beeps every step of the way. But honestly, that was sort of the fun part. It was thrilling when security would look at our badges and nod yes. It was even more satisfying when our badges proved worthy enough to allow us the unexpected pleasure of walking the red carpet into the Grand Lumiere for Robert Rodriguez’s “Hypnotic” (2023).

Cannes’ grand, bureaucratic system is complex, but it basically provides pass holders with a curated experience of the festival. We got to log in to reserve tickets for separate screenings daily at 7am. So, every morning for five days before the festival, I woke up before 7am to reserve whatever tickets I could, then desperately tried to go back to sleep. This was foreboding that sleep is not a priority during Cannes. However, one friend in my trio also had a pink “film professional” badge but it was tiered differently. This friend is a student filmmaker getting her MFA, but she had to wait until 9:30am to reserve her tickets. By that time, mostly only student shorts or short documentaries remained available. But it all worked out. She loved her track and enjoyed the shorts, as they inspired the work she’s currently doing. My producer friend and I relished the early premieres, and we all had a blast! 

Five days aren’t enough to network and schmooze like I thought it would be. Cannes is still a very French festival and people have places to be. I didn’t see much friendly random banter among pass holders in line, but we still met kind, helpful patrons. I was lucky enough to see about 15 short films and features. Some I watched for a few minutes at the open-air beach screenings, which was spectacular! Watching a movie while digging your feet into the sand and feeling the breeze of the ocean on your face felt like a gift from the gods. Overall, I saw some fantastic films, and I saw some terrible ones. But all in all, I had one of the greatest experiences of my life, and Cannes inspired me on so many levels. I’m ready to leap into the next phase of my career, whatever it may be, and get myself back to Cannes annually on an exponentially higher tier badge. 

For details on what films I saw, check out my letterboxd list and read my reviews: https://letterboxd.com/toyiah/list/i-cannes-and-i-did-23/