Cannes Film Festival
 

Hey Folks,

I'm going to be in Nice May 21-24. I definitely want to make a day trip to Cannes, especially since the film festival will still be going on.

Any suggestions or "insider advice" on how to see anything related to the festival or just a way to catch a glimpse of the stars?

I've been to the offical page for the festival but didn't find it too helpful...pretty sure there's no way for me to actually watch any of the films, but has anyone else been there in the past during this time and been able to take advantage of the festival? Or is just a pain in the ass with things being overcrowded?

(My life might just be complete if I was able to run into Johnny Depp but doubt he'll be at the festival; I would gladly settle for meeting any celebs though ;-) )

"Or is just a pain in the ass with things being overcrowded?"

Sadly, I think you've summed it up pretty well yourself.

You want to "meet" Johnny Depp or someone else or see him from a crowd as he's whisked to a showing surrounded by guards and paparazzi? The later is possible. Hang out at the showing venues particularly the Palais, and you might catch a glimpse of one of the stars. "Meeting" one is quite a different thing.

Hi OO,

If you want to go to a film festival for the films, you'll enjoy it. If you are going to see "celebrities", you will be wasting your time.

I live in Park City, Utah and go to several film at the Sundance Film festival every year. Sometimes you see celebrities and sometimes you don't. If you do, it's just by chance, or if you have tickets to a "Premire" film, the director, producer and actors do a Q&A afterwards. I don't know if Cannes is similar.

By the way, I didn't care for the city of Cannes at all. It's the only place I've visited so far in Europe that I didn't like.

I "accidentally" got off a train on my way from Aix-in-Provence to Milan some years ago. It was Cannes and the time was the film festival. I guess that the only thing I saw at the film festival was the butt ends of hordes of people at the barricades trying to see the movie people. I would rather see the movie people on screen, you know -- kissing and kneeling and kidding and kicking and knocking and knifing and killing. Sorry, I got karried away there.

Well, bugger.

Guess I won't count on it being anything but a crowded chaos.

I'm not at all affiliated with the films in the festival or with the press, so I won't be able to get a pas to see the films themselves (sadly). I would really like to see the DaVinci Code (though it shows the first day of the festival, before I get there), but I'll have to wait till is showing in the US :-(

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, avoid Cannes. By all accounts, t's a pain even for those with passes. If you want a user-friendly festival with celebs, try Telluride and spend your time in Nice elsewhere.

Not to mention it is the height of pickpocketing and cars broken into.