Festival de Cannes 2017

Festival de Cannes 2017

Cum a fost la Cannes? Ce vedete ai vazut? Dar filme?…. de cand m-am intors, primesc in fiecare zi aceste intrebari, asa ca e momentul sa va povestesc pas cu pas cum am trait aceasta experinta.

 

EN: What was Cannes like? Which stars did you see? What about the movies?… ever since I came back, I get these questions every day, so it’s time I told you step by step how I have lived this experience.

Pentru un actor sau un regizor, Festivalul de Film de la Cannes e tot ce iti poti dori mai mult. Pentru multi cineasti Cannes inseamna mai mult decat Oscar. Selectionarea filmului in competitie inseamna deja enorm. Ganditi-va ca sunt doar 19 filme ce concureaza pentru Palme d’Or. Numai anul acesta participa printre altii Michael HANEKE, Sofia COPPOLA, Yórgos LÁNTHIMOS sau Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV. Sunt cativa dintre preferatii mei, daca ma gandesc la “Benny’s Video”, la “Lost in Translation”, “Attenberg” sau “The Return”. Drept urmare, eu ca si actrita nici nu imi ingadui sa visez la Festivalul de Film de la Cannes. Pur si simplu nu mi se cuvine. Sigur, cand eram copil ma visam luand un Oscar, singura mea grija fiind ca nu o sa am unde sa pun in casa statueta. Dar odata cu trecerea anilor, am revenit cu picioarele pe pamant si am renuntat la astfel de proiectii precum Oscar sau Cannes. Le port un urias respect cineastilor romani care au participat (mai ales in ultimii ani) la acest festival cu filmele lor, unii dintre ei plecand acasa cu cele mai importante premii. Covorul rosu e al lor si al altor cineasti de renume. Ei merita atenția si laurii. De aceea nu ma pot lauda ca am fost la Cannes, cum poate ca as fi facut-o daca nu eram si actrita, ci doar blogger.

Dar ca blogger pot totusi sa va povestesc acum cum am petrecut cele 3 zile de festival, cat sa simtiti putin din atmosfera acestui urias eveniment al cinematografiei. Asa ca… sa incepem:

Am fost invitata la editia cu numarul 70 a Festivalului de la Cannes de catre Mastercard. Inca din mailurile de prezentare puteam sa anticipez ca va fi o experienta memorabila, dar totusi unele surprize ale organizatorilor au depasit orice asteptari. Si-au propus sa ne alinte ca pe niste staruri adevarate de cinema, si au reusit, din primul si pana in ultimul moment.

La aeroportul din Nisa pe mine si pe Radu ne-a asteptat o limuzina, care purta emblema Festivalului de la Cannes 2017. Va marturisesc ca am ras tot drumul parcurs prin oras, imaginandu-ne ce or gandi ceilalti turisti care treceau pe trotuar pe langa masina noastra cu jaluzelele fumurii ridicate: “Mamaa… cine stie ce vedete sunt in masina asta de langa noi?”. Ei bine, limuzina intr-adevar era aceeasi, si poate ca ea a condus in istoria ei si vedete de cinema invitate la festival, doar ca de data aceasta eram noi doi, simtindu-ne pur si simplu al naibii de norocosi. Ne si gandeam ca puteam fi oricand unii dintre acei turisti care cara dupa ei un troler prin Cannes, intorcand capul dupa fiecare masina cu sigla festivalului pe ea. Uite ca viata iti creeaza surprize si schimba – te miri cum – rolurile.

Ca experienta sa fie totala, am fost cazati la celebrul hotel Barriere Le Majestic, acolo unde pe perioada festivalului stau foarte multe personalitati. Culmea e ca despre acest hotel aflasem mai multe detalii fabuloase dintr-un documentar, acum cativa ani, dar nu ma gandisem nicio secunda ca si eu voi ajunge sa ocup o camera a lui sau ca voi testa restaurantele lui, mai ales in perioada festivalului. Cum am ajuns si m-am suit in lift pentru prima oara, cum m-am intalnit cu Lily Rose Depp. Cred ca stateam la acelasi etaj, pentru ca s-a nimerit sa ne mai intalnim de vreo 2 ori, de mi-era si teama sa nu creada ca eu si Radu suntem niste “stalkeri”.

Stiam ca in programul nostru de la Cannes, pe langa diversele cine sau pranzuri pe plaja, va exista o sesiune de “styling & fitting” – adica momentul in care vom proba tinutele de gala pentru premiera filmului “The Immortal” al lui Takashi Miike, plus o sesiune de make-up & hair in camera de hotel, chiar inainte de eveniment. Mi-am adus aminte brusc de discutiile cu Alexandru Abagiu sau Dana Argesan, doi make-up artisti romani care au machiat multe dintre vedetele de cinema invitate la Cannes. Si exact asa imi povesteau ca se intampla lucrurile, ca la o ora fixa trebuie sa fie la usa camerei lui X, pe care il/o machiaza pentru Y eveniment. Eh, acum eu urma sa trec prin tot acest ritual, iar asta mi se parea pe de-o parte amuzant, pe de alta parte intimidant. La sesiunea de fitting, am avut surpriza sa primesc din partea Mastercard o tinuta de gala superba, pe care am de gand sa o port cat de curand, poate chiar la TIFF. La Cannes, in schimb, am purtat-o la cina de dinaintea proiectiei filmului “The Immortal”.

Totusi, eu si Radu ne-am propus sa vedem cat mai multe filme acolo, chiar daca timpul era scurt. Asa ca am rugat echipa Mastercard  sa ne ofere 2 invitatii si la “Nelyubov” al lui Andrey Zvyagintsev. Foarte multi oameni isi doresc sa primeasca o astfel de invitatie, la un film inscris in competitie, iar multi dintre ei aleg o varianta inedita de a o obtine: defileaza cu cate o foaie in mana pe care scriu in toate limbile “Va rog invitatie la…” completand cu numele filmului, al regizorului, cu inimoare si alte artificii, menite sa impresioneze posesorii de invitatii la festival. Sunt multi critici de film sau alti invitati, precum eram si noi, care din diverse motive nu mai ajung la o proiectie, si atunci cedeaza invitatia unui astfel de cinefil cu pancarta, de pe croazeta. Va dati seama cam cat de mult iubesc si pretuiesc acei oameni filmul de festival, daca nu ezita sa stea ore bune pe langa cozile cu invitati cerand, intr-un mod original, cate un bilet de intrare?! Noi am avut mai mult noroc si am primit cele 2 invitatii de la echipa Mastercard, avand sansa sa vedem filmul chiar deodata cu juriul. Adica la cativa metri de noi erau Pedro Almodovar (presedintele juriului), Will Smith si Jessica Chastain. Filmul e superb, asa ca acum sunt extrem de curioasa daca va obtine si vreun premiu anul acesta.

In ultima seara am participat la premiera de gala a filmului “The Immortal”. Acesta era marele eveniment, asa ca totul era extrem de bine pus la punct. Etapele sunt urmatorele: o ultima proba a tinutei, apoi sesiunea de make-up si hair din camera, apoi imbracarea si ultimele retusuri, apoi cobori in lobby hotelului unde primesti ultimele detalii legate de viitorul “moment de glorie”, urcarea intr-o alta limuzina din coloana de masini care duce pe toata lumea spre Palais du Festival, unde sunt la datorie cateva sute de fotografi din toata lumea. Practic de la intrarea in hotel si pana la celebrele scari care te conduc in sala de proiectie sunt vreo 80 de metri, pe care tu ii parcurgi cu masina, caci asa e ritualul. E obligatoriu sa respecti intocmai desfasurarea aceasta de forte, caci fiecare masina are momentul ei de aparitie, iar fiecare invitat are momentul lui de pasit in fata fotografilor sau de a intra in sala de cinema. Sigur ca vedetele, in cazul de fata actorii principali ai filmului si regizorul Takashi Miike, intra ultimii. Dar tot momentul are farmecul lui. Cele 5 minute din limuzina, apoi coborarea din masina si urcarea acelor trepte istorice, purtandu-ti cu mandrie tinuta prin fata aparatelor de fotografiat ale jurnalistilor prezenti… e emotionant. M-am bucurat ca am trait aceasta experienta si asa, in calitate de spectator, gandindu-ma inca o data cam cat de tari sunt cineastii romani care au pasit pe covorul rosu spre unul dintre filmele lor selectionate.

Cu durerile clasice de picioare care au stat toata ziua pe tocuri, mi-a placut totusi sa ma intorc pe jos de la Palais du Festival pana la hotel, in rochia mea verde de gala, alaturi de Radu imbracat in tuxedo, simtind briza marii. As fi oprit macar putin timpul in loc.

Multumesc pentru aceasta experienta de nepretuit, Mastercard. Promit ca o sa o povestesc nepotilor.

In seara de gala am purtat rochie Ludmila Corlateanu, bijuterii Teilor, sandale Steve Madden.

EN: For an actor or director, the Cannes Film Festival is everything you could wish for. For many people from the movie industry, Cannes means more than an Oscar. The movie being selected in the competition already means a lot. There are only 19 movies competing for the Palme d’Or. This year alone, Michael HANEKE, Sofia COPPOLA, Yórgos LÁNTHIMOS or Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV are just a few of the ones competing. They are some of my favorite, if I think of “Benny’s Video”, “Lost in Translation”, “Attenberg” or “The Return”. Therefore, I as an actress don’t even dare to dream of the Cannes Film Festival. I am just not entitled to. Of course, when I was a child I used to dream of myself receiving an Oscar, my only worry being that I wouldn’t have where to put the statue. But once the years have gone by, my feet are back on the ground again and I have given up on such projections like Oscar or Cannes. I have huge respect for the Romanian actors and directors who have competed (especially in the past years) in this festival with their They deserve the attention and praises. That’s why I can’t brag that I have been in Cannes, like maybe I would have, if I weren’t also an actress, rather than just a blogger.

But as a blogger I can still tell you how I have spent the 3 festival days, so that you can feel a bit of the atmosphere from this huge even in the film industry. So… let’s begin:

I have been invited to the 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival by MasterCard. Ever since the presentation emails I could tell it was going to be a memorable experience, but still some of the surprises from the organizers have exceeded all expectations. They have set their mind upon pampering us like real movie stars, and they have succeeded, from the first until the last moment.  

A limo was waiting for me and Radu, at the Nice airport, branded with the Cannes Film Festival 2017 logo. I must confess we were laughing throughout our entire drive through the city, imagining what people walking by were thinking at the sight at our car: “Whooaa…who knows who is in the car next to us?”. Well, the limo was the same and maybe it had driven movie stars invited to the festival in its history, but this time it was just the two of us, feeling damn lucky. We even thought that we could be those tourists carrying a trolley though Cannes, turning our heads after each car with the festival logo on it. Life is full of surprises and somehow it manages to switch roles.    

So that the experience is complete, we stayed at the famous Barriere Le Majestic hotel, where many celebrities are staying during the festival. Funny thing is I have found out more fabulous details this hotel from a documentary, a few years ago, but I never thought that I would get be in one of its rooms or that I would try out its restaurants, especially during the festival. As soon as we got there and took the elevator for the first time, we ran into Lily Rose Depp. I think we were on the same floor, because we bumped into her again about twice more and I was afraid she might think Radu and I are some sort of  stalkers.

I know that, besides various dinners or lunches at the beach, my schedule in Cannes also included a “styling & fitting” session – meaning the moment we would try on the gala outfits for the premiere of the movie “The Immortal” by Takashi Miike, plus make-up & hair session in the hotel room, right before the event. I suddenly remembered the talks I had with Alexandru Abagiu or Dana Argesan, two Romanian make-up artists who have done the make-up of many of the stars invited to Cannes. And it’s exactly what they said it would be like, that they had to be at precisely one fixed hour in front of the hotel room where X were staying, to do their make-up for Y event. Well, I was going to go though this ritual, and I found it to be both funny and intimidating. At the fitting session, I had the surprise of receiving a beautiful  gown from MasterCard, which I intend on wearing very soon, maybe even at TIFF. In Cannes, I have worn it at the dinner before the screening of the movie “The Immortal”.

Still, Radu and I intended to see as many movies as possible while we were there, even though our time was short. So we asked the MasterCard team for 2 invitations to “Nelyubov” by Andrey Zvyagintsev. A lot of people wish for such an invitation, to a movie competing in the festival, and many of them choose a unique way if getting one: they walk around holding a piece of paper on which they write in all languages: “Please invitation for…” filling in with name of the movie, of the director, with little hearts and other props, meant to impress the owners of festival invitations. There are many film critics or other guests, like we were, who from various reasons don’t arrive for the projection anymore, and who then give up their invitation in favor to such movie fans. You can imagine how much people love and value the festival film, if they don’t hesitate to stand next to the lines with guests for hours, asking in an original manner for an entry ticket?!  We were very lucky and got the 2 invitations from the MasterCard team, having the chance to see the movie at the same time the jury did. So a few feet away from us, we could see Pedro Almodovar (the president of the jury), Will Smith and Jessica Chastain. The film is beautiful, so I am very curious to find out if it will get an award this year.

On our last evening we went to the gala premiere of the movie “The Immortal”. This was the main event, so everything was perfectly organized. The steps are the following: one last outfit fitting, then the make-up and hair session in the room, then getting dresses and the final touches, then you go down to the hotel lobby where you receive the last details about the upcoming “moment of glory”, getting into another limo in the line of cars taking everyone to Palais du Festival, where a few hundreds photographers from all over the world are on duty. Basically there are about 80 meters from the entrance in the hotel to the famous steps leading to the projection room, which you have to drive in a car, because that is the ritual. You must follow the flow without mistake, because each car has its appearing moment, and each guest has his/ her moment of walking in front of the cameras or for going into the movie room.  Of course the stars, in this case the main actors from the director’s Takashi Miike film, walk in last. But the entire moment has its charm. The 5 minutes in the limousine, then stepping out and walking up those historical steps, proudly wearing your outfit in from of the cameras… is emotional. I have enjoyed this experience even as a spectator, thinking again just how good our Romanian actors and directors are for walking the red carped towards one of their selected films.

With the usual sore feet after wearing heels all day, I still liked walking back from the Palais du Festival to the hotel, in my green gown, beside Radu wearing a tuxedo, feeling the sea breeze. I would have liked to stop the time, even for a little while.

Thank you, MasterCard, for this priceless experience. I promise I will tell my nephews all about it.

On the gala evening I wore an Ludmila Corlateanu dress, Teilor jewelry, Steve Madden sandals.