Yes You Can Do Cannes...Sort Of!

The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival is coming up May 15 to 26th and of course it totally takes over the town; this year 200,000 people are expected. Unfortunately, the screenings and parties are for industry insiders only...not for you. But there are definitely open-to-the-public events around town that will let you feel the buzz, even if you can't actually hang with Woody Allen and the Jolie-Pitts. Here are two of them.

“Cinema de la Plage” is a free, nightly outdoor movie screening held on Macé Beach, next to the Palais des Festivals. Shows begin around 9:30 pm (''usually'') and no tickets are needed. Yep, just show up. And because your comfort is paramount to me, I inquired about seats and blankets and was told that both will be available. A schedule for Cinema de la Plage will posted on the festival website here shortly before the fest begins. 

And once again, the American Club of the Riviera will be hosting their fabulous Film Festival Lunch in Cannes. I've never been but I hear it's tons of fun. It's May 18 at the Belle Plage Restaurant and all are welcome. Details will be posted on the ACR website and Facebook page soon. Or, contact BGintell@aol.com for info. 

If you live in Cannes or own property there, my friend Jackie Pressman (who's been there 13 years) has some interesting info on her website here. For example, there are special invitations from the Town Hall for locals to come to certain red-carpet screenings...but you have to enter a drawing. It's the Mayor’s way of giving back to compensate for all the inconvenience of the traffic, crowds and commotion. "But it's so exciting!" Jackie says. "We all love it. And many non-industry people come just to soak up the great atmosphere.'' By the way, if you need an apartment or villa in Cannes or have property to rent out, Jackie can definitely help.

This year's Cannes Film Festival opens May 15 with Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, which will be shown in 3D. Steven Spielberg will chair the festival jury,  while French actress Audrey Tautou will preside over the opening and closing ceremonies. The full website in English is here. 

Poster: This year's poster features Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, photographed during the shooting of A New Kind of Love by Melville Shavelson in 1963. The photo was remastered and redesigned by the Bronx Agency (based in Paris), who added a kinetic element, toying with the impression of movement and depth in order to enhance the cinematographic effect.