Mr Bean does Cannes

Although not many people actually noticed it, a film was being shot at last year's Cannes festival: "Mr Bean's Holiday", the second feature from Rowan Atkinson's comic character. In the film, Mr Bean buys a raffle ticket and through a series of tricks and mishaps finds himself on a train to Cannes with a video camera. He meets a range of movie characters and becomes one of the sensations on the Croisette.

The reviews are so-so. But a few quotes caught my attention. The film is in many ways a homage to the French comic Jacques Tati and his classic "Mr Hulot's Holiday". One of the characters in the film is an ego-driven director played by Daniel Dafoe. "My comedy in the film... is less slapstick and more parody," he told the Glasgow Herald. "A very thin parody, though, because my character is pretty close to the real world. I've seen some things on film sets. What you see in Mr Bean's Holiday is nothing. As far as film-makers go, I like the crazy ones as opposed to the quiet ones."

Atkinson is known for comedy classics such as "Blackadder", "Not the Nine O'Clock News" and "Mr Bean", as well as films such as "Love, Actually" and "Scooby Doo". "Mr Bean's Holiday" is being released in the UK on March 30, followed by other European countries through April. US release is slated for August.

Rowan Atkinson on Amazon UK

Rowan Atkinson on Amazon US

Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat sold to Russian oligarch

Over the past few years, the Russians have become a very notable presence along the Riviera and inevitably have started investing there. So the news that the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat between Nice and Monaco has been sold to Russian "oligarch" Leonard Balavatnik is not entirely surprising. Roman Abramovich had already bought Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc near Cannes last year. These magnificent hotels are favourites with the major stars that visit the Cannes festival.

Over the years, noted guests at Cap-Ferrat have included Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill, Aristotle Onassis, Pablo Picasso, Sir Paul McCartney and Frank Sinatra. Visit their site here.

MIPTV announces the Content 360 finalists

MIPTV featuring MILIA, Cannes' audiovisual and digital content market, has just announced the 25 finalists for the second edition of “Content 360,” the international competition to commission innovative, interactive content and applications for mobile and broadband.

“Content 360” is organised in partnership with the BBC, the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and for the first time WPP’s OgilvyOne Worldwide and Yahoo!

The call for entries received an enthusiastic response from hundreds of international multimedia and application developers. A total of 450 projects from 36 countries were entered compared to 186 projects from 23 countries last year. 240 companies from countries as diverse as Mexico, Australia, Sweden, South Africa, US, France, Canada, Italy, South Korea, UK, India, Singapore… entered projects in this year’s competition. A total of €100,000 in funding will be awarded at MIPTV on April 19. For more details, visit Content 360.

MIPIM awards salute outstanding real estate projects

The prestigious MIPIM Awards honour the most outstanding real estate projects of the previous year. On Thursday 15 March 2007, the international jury revealed this year's winners. The jury also gave out a Special Jury Award and, for the first time ever, a Special Tribute to a project in line with sustainable and environmental features.

The winners in the five sections are:
* Business centres - Portico, Spain
* Refurbished Office Building - Belmont Court (Belgium)
* Hotel and Tourism Resort - Malmaison Oxford, UK
* Shopping Centres - Europa Passage, Germany
* residential Developments - Colliers Kirinda, Sri Lanka

The refurbishment of 7 World Trade Center (US) was given a Special Jury Award.

For more details, visit Mipim.com.

"Ocean's 13" and Maradona at Cannes?

It has been relatively quiet on the Cannes front - if you choose to overlook the 25,000 people attending Mipim (see other report). But the deadline for the Cannes festival is moving ahead at a steady pace. This year's mainstream star looks for the moment like being "Ocean's 13" by Steven Soderbergh.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Marco Risi's "Maradona, La Mano de Dios/Maradona, God's Hand". "What impressed me about Maradona's life has always been his dark side," Risi told Italy's Repubblica. "So 40% of the story covers his joys and 60% the tunnel into which, at a certain point, his life entered." Sounds promising!

Maradona on Amazon UK

4th pan-African film festival in Cannes

Now referred to as "the other" festival in Cannes, the Festival of Pan-African Film will kick off in Cannes on April 11-15 at the Espace Miramar. As the name implies, all 50 films reflect African and African-related themes, with films coming from Africa itself, of course, Europe and the US. 15 films are in competition for Dikalo awards. Notable films this year include:

* "The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks", by Jennifer Sharp (USA)
* "Another Man’s Do, Garden", by Sol de Carvalho (Mozambique)
* "Confidences", by Cyrille Masso (Cameroon)
* "Adolfo", by Sofi Delaage (France/Cuba)
* "Le rendez-vous", by Sarra Abidi (Tunisia)

The festival also hosts concerts, scriptwriting workshops and fashion shows. For details, visit le Festival du Film Panafricain.

Anna Nicole Smith comedy to screen at Cannes

In terms of the art of cinema, it's not the biggest news. But you can safely expect plenty of headlines on this one. Anna Nicole Smith, the society girl that married an aging billionaire and inherited his fortune, starred in a comedy called "Illegal Aliens" before herself recently dying under mysterious circumstances. The fortune now falls to her infant daughter, and a number of men have come forward to claim paternity. The tabloids have also been pillorying her co-star Chyna Lauer for trying to "cash in" on the publicity when she was interviewed on Larry King. This slightly sordid affair has backfired on the movie, which has had to deal with a variety of legal issues before it is even finished post-production. But it will be screening out of competition at Cannes. It's one of those sad cases where the people involved in a movie are causing more interest than the movie itself. Shame.

Source: Hollywood Today

UK seminar for filmmakers

Two heavyweights are coming together to enable UK filmmakers to prepare for Cannes. Chris Jones, himself a filmmaker and author of the highly recommended "Guerrilla Film Makers Handbook", and Ben Craig, who runs CannesGuide.com and writes the equally-recommended "Virgin's Guide to Cannes" (right), will host an event at the Ealing Studios on March 20. I quote: "Ben’s seminar will offer detailed, practical and pragmatic techniques and tips so that YOU can maximise your impact and minimise your spend. And don’t think that Cannes is just for producers and directors, the savvy actors, writers, editors, DP’s and other crew members are all there too, rubbing shoulders with the power players and making new relationships that can lead to amazing new opportunities."

The entry of £15 includes a copy of the "Virgins Guide". This event is highly recommended. For details, visit Living Spirit.
Source: Screenplay Europe

And now: TV set called 'Cannes'

It must be flattering for the town. Korean electronics maestros Samsung recently launched a new high-definition PDP TV they are calling "Cannes". It uses their "Ultra DayLight" and "Natural True Colour" technologies to reportedly provide better colours and clearer images. Prices in Korea range from €1700 to over €7200 ($9500). But don't go running to Dixon's or MediaMarket. It's not yet available in Europe.

MIPIM unveils new property market at Cannes

Reed MIDEM, organisers of most of the trade fairs in Cannes, announced today that they will launch MIPIM HORIZONS, a new international property tradeshow in Cannes, in September 2008. This latest addition to the Reed MIDEM portfolio will be based on the successful MIPIM property market which takes place annually in Cannes, in March.

So why a second MIPIM? The event will focus on countries and regions which have strong business potential and are of particular interest to the property investment community. Special focus will be on Central Europe, the Middle East, members of the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Latin America.

“Since it was launched in Cannes in 1990, MIPIM has established itself as the single most important international tradeshow for the property business,” commented Reed MIDEM Chief Executive Officer, Paul Zilk. “International investors are seeking new business around the world and this show is designed to help them discover countries and regions with particularly attractive investment opportunities." Won't there be confusion between the two events? "In the television sector, we already hold two events, MIPTV and MIPCOM in Cannes, now we will have two dedicated property shows in the city.”

This year's MIPIM opens on March 13.