Cannes Journal: Monday

I'm back in New York and exhausted. Cannes was fueled by noisettes and Cotes du Provence and the odd glass of champagne. Food seemed incidental, stolen between meetings or at the beach party buffets or back at the hotel as we snacked while we changed into eveningwear for parties and premieres. And by the time we crawled into bed, I could barely remember what had transpired just that morning.

I arrived in Nice on Monday after a red-eye flight. It was a holiday and the buses and trains were on strike. I had to take a cab to the hotel. The day was overcast and as I settled to wait in the lobby of the Pierrre at Vacances, it started to rain. Kit was having lunch with Johnny Sham in town, and I watched as teenagers gathered in the lobby to smoke and play pool and stay out of the rain.

Kit arrived around three with good news. I changed and showered. She said she was to meet a friend of hers at the American Pavillion at four. She said that there was a party for Jackie Chan that night. We took a van back to the festival and dropped off press kits I had brought at the office in charge of the short films. I met Bruno and Elise for the first time and then we left to find the American Pavillion. Kit called her friend. She was at a party in an apartment rented for the festival across the street from the Grand Palais. We made our way through the crowds and found the address. We took a small elevator up to the fourth floor. It felt like a changing room, complete with a small bench at the back. Kit said it was a strange feeling sitting in an elevator.

The apartment overlooked the red carpet. Kit's friend Damian offered us wine and I found myself talking to Stephen Bayly. He mentioned his first film Coming Up Roses, shot in Welsh, which premiered at Cannes. He said it was about the closing of a movie theater and its effects on a small mining town. That reference made me think of Eric Lin's Music Palace and Yang Li's Blind Shaft. Damian seconded my recommendation of Blind Shaft and the conversation moved to Beijing and Asian films in general.

The sound of pre-recorded interrupted our conversation, and Damian drew our attention to the Grand Palais. "Since this is your first time," she said, "you should watch the procession." An announcer boomed the names of celebrities as they walked the red carpet to attend the premiere of Lars Von Trier's Mandalay. At six the party was over. Glasses were collected; the wine was put away. We called Stevie who invited us to a party on the beach.

Shortly after we arrived, John Woo took the stage. He gave a short speech and then was mobbed by camera crews. Christopher Doyle appeared, and the rest of the evening has become a blur. Posted by eku at May 24, 2005 10:26 AM