Oscar winner Kate Blanchett (top left) at the press conference for CAROL, directed by Todd Haynes. Bahamian, Travolta Cooper (bottom right) asking questions at the press conference.
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CANNES, France - It is the
best of times and the worst of times for me at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s the best of times because I’m here.
Period. There’s nothing like this film festival. It is an absolute must for every
filmmaker, actor, production designer and everyone involved in the craft of
filmmaking at some point in their creative lives.
Cannes is divided into two
main facets. There are the films here that are in competition at the festival
(for which you have to be invited) and the films that are here in the
market of the festival (where anyone can go).
The festival itself exists
somewhere between a film retreat and trade for all involved; and whether it’s
the unending screenings in competition, the film screening in the market
(Marche Du Cinema), the beach screenings at night, the panel talks, the
networking, the people on the streets of Cannes begging for film tickets - the
energy here does not stop. It is a well oiled machine, and it is all driven by a
pure love (a French love) of all things cinemas.
It is the worst of times
because, as you may have read previously, I lament the Caribbean absence at the
festival this year. I am hopeful that one day we will have a film from the
region in the competition, but while we’re on the way there we can still be
here participating in the market. There’s really no excuse for why we’re not
here, especially as a collective.
Cheers and applause came
after screening the new film “Carol” last night. Cannes is the kind of festival where there
are standing ovations and cheers from its audience as the credits roll because
the reverence for the art of movies here is astounding.
'Carol' is directed by Todd Haynes, a filmmaker I have long
admired. It tells the story of two women
(played wonderfully by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Oscar nominee Rooney
Mara) as they precariously begin to
chart a path toward a romantic relationship in 1950’s America. In the hands of
Mr. Haynes, the film is a keen eye study into all of the nuances of filmmaking
that contribute to a luminous piece of art; its film framing, costume design,
production design, and its detailed screenplay written by
Phyllis Nagy (Ms.
Nagy adapted the script from the book “The Price Of Salt” written by Patricia
Highsmith in the 1950s). At the time
when Patricia Highsmith wrote the novel it was written anonymously and it was
actually categorized as “crime fiction” (homosexuality being illegal in America
in the 1950’s). Mr. Haynes spoke at the press conference about his attraction
to the material and being interested in the very concept “about love itself as
something criminal”.
Carol is one of the best films of the
year and we’ll be discussing it one way or another, when it comes to Oscar season.
Boos
resounded following the screening of Gus Van Sant "T
he
Sea Of Trees” a movie
I almost fell asleep through to be honest. Cannes is unending energy and
there’s an a
drenaline to the environment that is needed to participate. If not,
you’ll collapse because it’s not the body keeping you awake. The mind is.
The Sea
of Trees tells the tale
of two distraught men (played by Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe), an
American and a Japanese, who meet while venturing into Japan’s infamous
“suicide forest” to kill themselves. I kept wondering what was Gus Van Sant
trying to communicate to us. This is one of his worst efforts and it showed
alarmingly at the press conference where the press itself began to boo the
filmmaker and actors present. The reverence I mentioned earlier, well, it comes
with irreverence for any filmmaker who doesn’t meet the bar of cinema art here
at Cannes. I found myself chatting with other journalist and critics here who
wondered how and why the film even made it to the competition. Some surmised
that it’s just the politics of all film festivals (including Cannes) where big
names matter more than art because I’m told that there are more quality films
playing in the market. Whether that’s true or not, in the end, Cannes has no
respect of persons.
Since we’ve been here combing the
festival for Caribbean life, there is a cheerful note to report. Members from the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival
are here, and we plan to meet, organize, and discuss the absence of the
Caribbean presence here. This is particularly
interesting because the Trinidad and Tobago Film festival is launching in the
Region the first Caribbean Film Database this fall. Will that perhaps translate
to the governments of the Region to set up shop here next year? And with all
the great work Trinidad has been doing, will we perhaps see a Caribbean film in
completion here perhaps next year? Stay tuned.
More:
Cannes: Myths and Legends
Searching for 'Cariwood' at Cannes Film Festival
Bahamian production, The Cinemas on location at Cannes Film Festival
The Cinemas
is the brainchild of its host, Bahamian writer, director, and producer
Travolta Cooper, who began the show as a result of an endorsement deal
with The Bahamas’ movie theater chain. At heart, The Cinemas is designed
to promote and encourage the new wave of Caribbean Cinema happening in
the Region and around the world. The show consists of movie reviews and
interviews with a Caribbean twist.