Cannes

The days are long at the Cannes Film Festival. Between press conferences and short film promotions, there is always a job to be done. The warm sunny days are long and everyone who is anyone is working tirelessly. As the day wears, the sun begins to set, and evening is upon the town. Then the magic of the film festival begins, and it does so at the heart of the festival: the red carpet. Each night at the film festival, there are 3 films played in sequence, 2 of which are in the official festival competition. Thursday night, for example, the film, "Zodiac" is premiered, and crowds gather to catch a glimpse of Jake Gyllenhal or Mark Ruffalo entering the Palais. The scene is set like a truly grand event: bright lights all over, camera flashes rapidly going, and all attendants dressed in formal wear - men in tuxedos, women in beautiful gowns. The excitement has only begun from there. After "Zodiac", the crowd gathers again to catch the stars leaving the film, and the next film goes underway. The next film of the evening is a romanian film entitled, "4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days". The final film of the evening, "Triangle", begins at 12:30 a.m., but the hour does not shut down the crazed, starstruck city. In fact, as thi s film commences, one can not help but notice how exciting the city is. The nightlife is at its peak in Cannes during the festival; some companies bring their clubs to the city for the duration of the festival! While walking along the water, the presence of evening-chic parties is evident. Yachts light up the water as parties on the sea take place, and there is a colorful array of illulinated white tents, booming with techno beats and dance music favorites. Limosines and photgraphers patiently wait outside of select upscale night spots (i.e. Baoli) and it is clear that a big celebrity resides inside at the VIP booth. With the glamour and glitz of it all, it is easy to lose sight of the importance of the festival itself. The festival is made for the appreciation of films world wide. It is also an important opportunity for smaller, less popular film makers to promote their films and production companies. At the same time, the film festival is also meant to celebrate films, and that is exactly what the stars of the films come to Cannes do. From Valentino to Kidd Rock, the celebrities in Cannes are truly celebrating, and striking a pose on the red carpet!