National_Geographic_Traveller_India_May_2017

■ WORLD
This month, I am off to Cannes. I like
throwing that phrase around casually.
For a second, it sounds oh-so-glamorous. Right now you are
probably thinking of a montage of scenes centred around yachts,
beaches, and champagne. Please allow me to derail that train of
thought. I am a programmer who attends the Cannes International
Film Festival to scout for films and meet the people who are in the
business of making and selling them. I have never come within
hugging distance of any major Hollywood star there (although last
year I did see the back of Ryan Gosling’s head, walking a mere 400
metres from me). The one time I got onto a yacht, I got seasick and
I may have had to get into a staring match with some doormen to
enter the many luxury brand stores that line the Croisette. So when
I say Cannes, the picture in my brain is nothing like the one in yours.
Film festivals are like that. Poised right at the intersection of
cinema, glamour, travel, and food, they are connected to the cities
they inhabit, yet they have their own energy, vibe, and ideology.
I highly recommend trekking to the ones listed here to experience
why thousands of people migrate to them every year, almost like
devotees who find themselves on a pilgrimage.
DENIS MAKARENKO/SHUTTERSTOCK
MAY 2017 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA 75