The residents of Cannes say that the population of the small seaside town nearly triples during the two weeks during which it plays host to the film festival each year, but that little fact doesn’t begin to describe the magnitude of change that takes place.  While members of the film industry, journalists, and film enthusiasts who come to Cannes during these weeks in May might know Cannes to be a bright, bustling, glittering place filled with shopkeepers and waitresses who conveniently speak English and beachside night clubs that keep the party going until 4am, such things are not the true Cannes – they exist for the benefit of the hordes of visitors who come for the festival, many of whom are English-speaking.
Long before the Cannes Film Festival began – 65 years ago -- Cannes was a small fishing village and a vacation home for British-bourgeois-types.  And when the festival is not in swing Cannes stays true to its roots.  It’s a small town in which it is often hard to find a place to eat after.  The red carpet covered stairs at the Palais des Festivals are not barricaded from the public, but are traversed by scores of tourists eager to pretend they too are famous as they post in their North Face jackets.
But during the festival Cannes sparkles.  Late at night, streets which would have been practically deserted any other time of year teem with ladies in gentlemen wearing evening gowns and tuxedos.  Rainbows of light bounce to the beat as they shoot out from beachside night clubs.  And in the afternoon, simply while walking down the street, one can literally bump into Sacha Baron Cohen dressed for his latest role as “The Dicator” while his camera crew follows him up and down the Croisette or catch a glimpse of Eva Longoria as she returns to the Hotel Martinez. 

-- Molly S Kruser