Stuck for a room for the festival?

I'm a little surprised, but there are still some rooms available in and around Cannes for the festival. I did a quick check and came up with three within 5 kilometers. Your best bets are in either Mandelieu or Juan-les-Pins. Click on this hotel selection for an example. But don't be surprised if the link draws a blank first time as rooms are booked. You might have to spread the range further. Good luck.

Quentin Tarantino to give Cannes masterclass

Quentin Tarantino is to give a masterclass at Cannes this year. The maker of "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" is following in the footsteps of Martin Scorsese, Stephen Frears and Sydney Pollack by taking to the stage to talk about film-making. As anyone that watches YouTube knows, Mr T can be outspoken and passionate. So this should be a stimulating event.

This is not the first time Tarantino has spoken at Cannes, as he took to the stage of the open-air cinema a few years back to introduce some classics films.

The Cannes festival and Film Market will be held May 14-25.

Pan-African film fest, April 18-23

The other film festival in Cannes, the International Pan-African Film festival, will kick off this year on April 18 with a special reception on the beach of the Noga Hotel. Guests this year include Marie-Ange Banbancourt, Emile Abossolo MBO, Roger Cantin, Wyoma, Oxaï Roura and Serge Diantantu. The line-up includes films from across the African diaspora (notably a strong selection from the US), as well as featuring fashion, music events and workshops on the island of Sainte Marguerite.

MIPTV: International Entertainment Industry at the EMC Kick-Off

On Monday 7 April, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the Entertainment Master Class (EMC) held a reception at MipTV in Cannes to celebrate the official kick-off of the EMC format academy. Guests expected to attend included Julie Bristow (CBC Television, Kanada), Ben Hall (BBC Worldwide), Guillaume de Fondaumière (Quantic Dream), Dr. Thomas Bellut (ZDF), Frank Hoffmann (VOX), Jan Mojto (EOS Entertainment), Dr. Matthias Esche (Bavaria Film International) and many more. EMC is a prestigious event that focuses on building expertise in TV formats within Europe.

Attending screenings at Cannes

One of the most recurrent questions we receive this time of the year is, “How can I attend screenings at Cannes?” If you’ve looked around the net, you probably came up with a blank on this one. So here’s the inside deal: there are ways, but it’s not quite the glamorous process you think it is.

The Cannes festival is basically two things: a promotional showcase and a trade market. If you are neither press nor industry, nothing is done to make life easy for you. You should know that even within the accredited press, for example, there is a strict pecking order. Some journalists are definitely favoured over others.

So the simple movie fan that wants to catch a few films has little chance. It is possible to catch movies outside the Palais, usually at smaller venues. The city of Cannes insisted that the festival make some tickets available, and set up the Cannes Cinema body (link below) to handle this. So it is possible to obtain tickets. But the Cannes Cinema site specifies that they are primarily for people with some sort of non-professional connection to movies, such as films clubs, teachers, etc. I know there is some lee-way on this.

If you can’t face the prospect of trying to justify your existence, you could always try your luck picking up tickets early in the morning at the Cannes Cinema booth (in the Pantiero zone) or at the Raimu, Licorne and Studio 13 cinemas. These screenings are not in the main theatre, but do include films from the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Official Selection, Un certain regard and Cannes Classics selection. You can’t really choose what to see, as these are basically leftover seats.

Tickets for the Semaine international de la critique can (if you’re lucky and early enough) be picked up at the Espace Miramar (35, rue Pasteur) or with a Cannes Cinéphile badge. Remember, conditions apply and exceptions are regularly made. To quote the Stones, you can’t always get what you want.

Confusing? Just wait until you hit town! Getting to see anything involves a lot of walking from one source of information to another, getting up early and queuing. But you are at Cannes, and might just spot someone half-famous in the street.

The other opportunity is to check the Cinéma de la Plage. I’ve seen quite a few films here, and I think it’s a fun event. A giant screen is placed on the beach close to the Palais and shows a broad selection of art-house films and old classics. Tickets are available from the Cannes Tourist Office on the day.

Having a badge, I have never had to go through most of this process. So I’m hoping that someone with more experience will chip in with some useful information. Good luck!

Link: Cannes Cinema (for the Cinéphile badge).

This article is featured on The Carnival of Cinema.

"We're all white, middle-aged men anyway"

Mipim is not really my scene. But the recent article in Britain's The Lawyer still seemed vaguely familiar from having attended so many different Cannes events. On the one hand, you have the sharp players that have everything worked out and know when to schmooze in town and when to whisk the right people out of sight for a quiet "chat". On the other, the people straight off the boat that end up in the bar way too late. If you ever think of bringing a company to Cannes - whether it be for Midem or Mipcom - this gives an idea of how business is done outside the Palais (but don't forget the foot soldiers that can pick up plenty of business inside the Palais - this article doesn't even mention them). Check it out on The Lawyer.

Quote of the week: a certain Tim Jones was invited, but ended up wearing the badge of another Tim Jones. "It doesn't matter, we're all white, middle-aged men anyway." The funny thing is, if you replace the pin-stripes in the article by leather jackets, he could be describing Midem or the festival.

Iron Maiden singer to unveil film at Cannes

Looks like it's that time of the year already, when the offbeat and unusual get their headlines by virtue of turning up at Cannes. According to a report in the BBC, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson will unveil a flm at this year's Cannes festival. "Chemical Wedding" stars Simon Callow as Professor Haddo, the reincarnation of British occultist Aleister Crowley, once described as Britain's most evil man. Julian Doyle, who directed the video for the band's 1988 single 'Can I Play with Madness', co-wrote the script with Dickinson and is directing. The reaction from test screenings are that it is very much in the vein of the Hammer Horror films.