National_Geographic_Traveller_India_May_2017

In Focus | FESTIVE SPIRIT
Cannes Film Festival Festival de Cannes
Year of Inception
1946
Month
May
Festival Hub
Palais du Festivals
Average no. of
films screened
180+
Average no. of
people attending
30,000+
Cannes is the mother of all film festivals. Every
May, over thirty thousand directors, producers,
writers, journalists, sales agents, and assorted film
professionals descend upon the eponymous town
in French Riviera. They network, walk the red carpet,
pitch films, and try and watch some of the over 180
films that are screened here as part of the official
selection. As a festival, Cannes is so exclusive—some
would say haughty—that you can attend it only if
you’re connected to cinema professionally or are a
member of the press. But not to despair, the festival
also has some fantastic sidebars like the Director’s
Fortnight (which Anurag Kashyap regularly features
on) and Critic’s Week for which the general public can
buy tickets.
If you do manage to swing yourself an accreditation
or place your faith in swinging some last minute film
tickets, Cannes is a town that has much to offer.
During the ten days of the festival, the sleepy town
transforms itself and films take over. The weather is
usually perfect with just enough nip in the air to save
one from being broiled. The beach is only 10 minutes
away. But to experience Cannes in all its glory, one
must set aside hours to stargaze and people-watch.
The best places to do this is right outside the Palais
des Festivals where all the red carpets take place or
in the lobbies of hotels like the JW Marriott, Carlton,
or the Grand Martinez where all the A-listers stay. It’s
quite normal to see people dressed from head to toe
in couture, walking casually down the road as they
make their way from the red carpet to the first of many
parties of the night. You might also spot your favourite
art-house filmmaker in one of the many restaurants
opposite the two-kilometre long Croisette. Do try
out some authentic Provençal cuisine and pack your
walking shoes. Cannes is best covered on foot and
cars are prohibitively expensive. Although the Uber
in Cannes does have a helicopter option, so that’s
always there. If you’re a racing enthusiast, Monaco is
only an hour away. (www.festival-cannes.com/fr.)
TANIAVOLOBUEVA/SHUTTERSTOCK
76 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | MAY 2017