Back from another hard slog on the Cote d’Azur. Seriously, Cannes is a hard slog. Screenings from 08:00 to midnight, endless photocalls, red carpet calls, press conferences, publicity stunts, lunch receptions, cocktail receptions, late night parties. And, being a 24/7 news practitioner, endless rolling deadlines. All the time fighting for space with 3,000 other hacks from around the world, plus 10,000 or so delegates, plus thousands of star spotters. The entire experience made harder still this year by last Thursday’s tragedy (five days after moving into our new place, our dear little pooch Walter committed hara-kari attacking a passing white van, Rachelle breaking her foot trying to stop him).
The Palais awaits: Cannes Red Carpet 2008
Highlights? Blagging into the Maradona by Kusturica premiere (rewarded with a sustained standing ovation, film was pretty ace too), hanging out with Iron Mike at the Tyson party, Brit artist Steve McQueen’s Maze hunger strike drama Hunger, the superb 1982 Lebanon war cartoon Waltz with Bashir, the first half of Steven Soderbergh’s Che, being in the first audience in the world to see the new Indiana Jones. Not forgetting Times Chief Film Critic James Christopher’s yoga on the Martinez pier at Monday’s Times/Sky Movies lunch…
James Christopher and Omgasm star Alexandra Fulton