Day 4 started on a positive note weather wise with the sun out first thing in the morning but as the busy day went on dark clouds took over and rain dampened the red carpet event for ‘Le Jeune Ahmed’ and several parties that were to take place on yachts and beaches were wet and damp.
The press rooms in the Palais des Festivals are chaotic. Hundreds of international press have access to the two not very large press rooms, all trying to make deadlines while juggling hectic schedules. There is a severe lack of seating, as well as busy toilets and the lack of anything decent to eat. So one has to be strategic and organised and bring in some sort of food because leaving the Palais building subjects you to the crowds outside, lack of anything quick and cheap nearby, and the arduous security checks upon re-entering the Palais.
Willem dafoe at the american pavilion
Willem Dafoe was absolutely charming at a one hour session the American Pavilion hosted on Monday morning. Dafoe stars in two films at the festival – ‘The Lighthouse’ and ‘Tommaso’ – and he is perhaps the busiest actor around today. Dafoe tends to play real-life characters – Jesus, Van Gogh, T.S.Eliot and Pasolini – and Dafoe said ‘we can learn a lot from them.’ He said that he likes to be involved in all aspects of a film – and that ‘I like building my life around this activity.’
Back to the Russian Pavilion for their Global Film Showcase which featured an esteemed panel including Iranian filmmaker Dena Rassam, whose film ‘Tatoo,’ tells the story of a young women (played by Behdokht Vallian) with a tattoo who comes under scrutiny from officials while trying to get her driving license renewed. Other members of the panel, who each described their upcoming projects, included Allison Melody from Melody Productions and Jamie Lundy who discussed his upcoming WWII film ‘Principle Deception.’
Next was film ‘Nina Wu,’ a Taiwanese film in competition for Un Certain Regard. It’s a film about a struggling actress who gets a role in a film but who has to compromise herself. Beautifully shot with a clear cut message in this #metoo era. Quentin Tarantino was also in the audience for this film within a film movie.
Bernal, with glasses, and emmanuel, to his left, at the screening of ‘chicuarotes’
The highlight of the day was Gael Garcia Bernal’s ‘Chicuarotes.’ It’s a moving story of two young teenagers who keep on getting into trouble in their small Mexican town, while one of the boys – a very good Benny Emmanuel – has an abusive father and dreams about leaving his hometown with his girlfriend after kidnapping a local child in the hopes of a huge ransom. As expected, the film leads to a very dramatic and emotional finish. But it was very emotional as the cast, including Bernal, were at the screening and cried to the rapturous applause of the audience when the screening ended. It was a very memorable moment.
