Beauty and the Best

Friday, May 15, 2009

Opening day, hectic preparations are visible all day at the huge Festival Palais premises. You can see the red carpet being spruced up, the video relay of the star walk-up being readied, placards and posters being placed, gorgeous flower decorations everywhere, music pepping up people from street loudspeakers. And this year, there are thousands of brightly coloured balloons to cheer the opening film, UP.

This first day parades those who trigger the festival. There is the morning press conference of the prized opening film, telecast all day thereafter on TVs placed at vantage points. The afternoon has the jam-packed press conference with the entire jury. In the evening, a good hour-and-a-half ahead of the 6.30 pm opening, since cars cannot ply the festival road, there is the unusual sight of people walking hurriedly, dressed in glittering high fashion, clutching their flowing dresses, to reach on time. Much ahead too, hundreds line the festival theatre to cheer, greet and gawk at the famous, beautiful people who are the darlings of the red carpet.

The jury press conference this year was more animated and informal than most. Last year's conference was graced by Chairman Sean Penn, indicating that he would lead the way to looking at political films. This year's chairperson, the great French actress Isabelle Huppert set a welcome openness with her calm, clear-eyed intelligence. She said that she was not there to 'judge' films. She believed that a film comes from the heart and appeals to the heart, and it is this visceral exchange that makes a film what it is. Her feelings were echoed by all the members. When asked if she was pleased that this year there were more women jury members than men, she said that gender had no place in her way of thinking when it comes to creativity. Huppert is adored in Europe. She has been to Cannes with 17 of her films and won the best actress award twice.

Sharmila Tagore displays an elegant, confident presence at Cannes as jury member. At the press conference she spoke candidly about the difficulty of being on a jury and how each jury member would use his/her individual skills and craftsmanship to enhance an overall appraisal of a film. When asked if being the chairman of India's Censor Board would affect her analysis, she said that she was in Cannes as an individual and not as an official, and is therefore free to look at films the way she chooses to.

It takes almost an hour for the invited celebrities to walk the red carpet as they stop and pose for cameras while festival heads, Gilles Jacob, Thierry Frémaux and Veronica Cayla wait at the entrance to welcome them.

Arriving almost tail end, Aishwarya Rai accompanied by her handsome, trimmed-down husband, proved to be the apple of the media's eye. She wore a simple but striking flowing white evening dress and swirled away confidently, knowing this scene all too well. In the hall, she waved happily to all those she knew. At dinner held for a select few, she and Abhishek sat at a table for a long while, chatting with all those who came by. When asked what she felt about there being no Indian film for so many years, her candid reply was that Indian films are led by the release date shaped by its world market, and Cannes does not accept released films. This ruled out a slew of films. In other words, it's the market that dictates Indian films, not festivals.

Aishwarya is in Cannes not only on behalf of L'Oreal but also because she is being honoured on May 14 for her commitment to social and humanitarian issues, in the presence of HM Queen Noor of Jordan. The event is to announce the third edition of the International Tribunes Cinéma Vérité that will take place in Geneva (October 6-8) and Paris (October 9-10) 2009. Cinéma Vérité is a special event, dedicated to human rights with screenings, debates and commitment to action.

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