For a U of T student visiting one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, Cannes boils down to three things: no sleep, intense heat, and films from dusk till dawn. Realistically, this description only scratches the surface of what goes down at the largest and most glamorous film festival in the world.
Through a student program put on by the American Pavilion — the connector between Cannes and the American film community — myself and the other students arrived in Cannes on May 10, two days before the festival actually began.
Initially, the city that was to host the festival was quiet and subdued, but come opening night the festival was in full swing. The streets were crowded with tourists, made noticeable by the hopeful young women seeking out a glimpse of Jake Gyllenhaal, Matthew McConaughey, or Michael Fassbender. As one can imagine, the screams of glee from exuberant fans, not to mention my fellow students, only added to the exhilarating and over-the-top vibe to the festival.
This year, Cannes set out with the goal to honour Ingrid Bergman, an actress and timeless beauty who played opposite such stars as Cary Grant and Gregory Peck in the 1930s and 40s. As a cinema studies specialist at U of T, it was wonderful to see an important female figure being recognized at such a prestigious film festival.
Cannes Film Festival 2014 by Roberto Borello is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Each morning, the daily schedule showed a different picture of Bergman on the front cover. Inside the pamphlet lay an in-depth description of the films being screened that day, as well as what was to be showcased the following day. For a film major from a distant continent, these schedules quickly became the guiding light for the often-overwhelming event.
Over time, the crowds died down and became significantly more manageable. With full access to the festival, I navigated my way through the various theatres in search of whichever film looked most appealing. One theatre in particular, the Grand Lumieré Theatre — named after the two most well known brothers in film history, Auguste and Louis Lumieré — was the 2,000 seat home to a variety of red carpet screenings. Here I saw the incredibly powerful and newly released documentary, Amy, which depicted the life and tragic death of singer Amy Winehouse.
Each day at Cannes served to revivify my excitement and nervousness about pursuing a career in this intimidating industry. Through talking with many producers and filmmakers within the industry itself, it became evident that the importance of learning the theory behind films — a subject that the Cinema Studies department excels in — is highly valued throughout the movie industry. There’s comfort in knowing that the education received through the Cinema Studies Institute can be beneficial, especially in the arduous pursuit for a career within an industry that’s become increasingly difficult to access.
