Cannes You Taste It 2009 (Cannes Film Festival)

It was that time of the year again, when the biggest media extravaganza unfolds on the shores of the Cote d’Azur. The most glamorously hyped film festival of all film festivals, where the biggest A List talents, financial heavy weights, film tycoons, serious international socialites from the cream of society, fashion and music, followed by every TV channel, broadcast representatives, photographers and journalists to a little place called “Cannes”.

The little town waits eagerly each year for the arrival of the world famous and most renowned festival to begin, for the Cannois, they grew up with the festival outside their doorstep. They had seen and been a party of that recurring scene, whether mingled, sat next to or walked past many stars in their short lives, to them it is pure business.

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the little town’s most lucrative income revenue of the year, the small business from shops to cafes, as well as the larger businesses from hotels to beaches and clubs, all look forward to making their maximum income revenue during these festival periods.

Hence the rates during each festival carry its own price tag, and though each company and person who attends the world renowned most expensive festival that is FIF Cannes, each respectively would therefore be fully aware of the extortionate prices, thus one is expected to be able to afford such a luxury as joining the tycoons of the world’s film industry.

From the 1st of May the little town known as Cannes awakens, faster activity begins to stir within its quaint narrow streets, the banners start to blow in the wind, hanging off hotels and street posts as the beaches are flattened and extended for the tents to be set. By the second week of May the doors open for the talents, international film companies filling every inch of each hotel, the wannabes, the net-workers, the entertainers, the promoters, the socialites, the flood of media, the gold diggers and the entourage of hangers.

To many FIF Cannes might be a dream they may wish to live one day, to some a dream they are trying to live, to others it may be an opportunity to be seen, discovered and recognised, to some party and host events, while some only network for the purpose of sealing a deal and concluding business with possibly a spot of entertainment after, but to the real movers and shakers of FIF Cannes, then one would either be attending to work or party. One is either making money or spending money or both.

Until FIF Cannes 2007 I attended the festival to work, network and party, each year demanded a different set of criteria to be met and executed proficiently. In 2008 I was indisposed, and therefore I decided that 2009 should be a year I visited Cannes as a spectator, to enjoy the real FIF Cannes and flow between all its activities only to experience and absorb the scenes that unfolded before my eyes.

During FIF Cannes there are two types of groups that all other sub-groups would fall under, one is the film, glamour and business and the other is the cool, connected and the trendsetter.

The serious end of film, glamour and business all take place in the Majestic, Carlton and the Martinez hotel, and ascending in importance in that order. For the best location to really rub shoulders with the stars and super talents, then it’s Hotel du Cap in Antibes.

The afternoons on The Carlton’s terrace would be a must visit for the serious net-worker, socialite, business and film tycoons, wannabes and must be seen, hangers and new comers. The tightly packed space of chairs and round tiny tables occupied a rainbow of characters of unlikely groups of people, from the well fed older gentlemen smoking expensive cigars, adorned with a flashy watch and shiny shoes, surrounded by butt kissers, a couple of employees and Barbie dolls either trying to get a part, had become a part or desperately trying to get any piece of any part. Each table hosted a variety of these characters again ascending in importance and stature within the industry. The more cigars and Barbie dolls they supported on one table, the more important they are or were made to feel.

Meanwhile, for the trendsetters, cool and connected people, such as organisers, promoters, club, beach and business owners, for the cool Cannois, the music and fashion people, serious party players and socialites who all hang out in back cafes and a selected few on the famous Croisette, such as the new hot spot “Mocca” opposite the Palais or the famous Le Voilier next to the Carlton.

As the customer arrives to the open terrace entrance to “Mocca” Café, if the customer is unrecognisable to the tall gorgeous young person who guards the entrance, then with blatant audacity the customer would then be scanned from tip to toe on their style, stride and attitude in order to gain possible entry into the venue.

Once inside, the real behind the scenes networking and business can be negotiated, while all events and parties of the year also discussed and arranged between groups to be attended later. In the cool low key hangouts are where all the organisers and service providers for the entirety of Cannes meet to arrange discuss and contract for all the spectators, talents, visitors and businesses that comes during the festival, for they are the service providers for the film festival, the real movers and shakers of FIF Cannes and without a collective approval by them, one has no chance of entry or even survival within the elite community of Cannes.

It all sounds and looks glamorous, but there is always more to the pudding than meets the eye; here as seen and experienced through my eyes, I take great pleasure in sharing a taste of Cannes Film Festival’s ultimate party scene.

The video includes a taste of the fabulous events, venues and people who attended this year, from 50 Cent & Lenny Kravitz performing Live at Christian Audigier’s event of the year to the hottest spots like Le Baoli, VIP Club and Nikki Beach.