The red carpet, sunlit palm leaves and blinding flashes of ubiquitous cameras. For 68 years, this unique combination has been an inherent part of a place that attracts the attention of (not only) the film world each year. CANNES; a place where film becomes industry as well as media entertainment. How has the “city promised to film” changed over time? Watch at DAFilms.com from May 19 to 25 for free!
“People come to Cannes just to advertise their films, not with a particular message. But the advantage is that if you go to the festival, you get so much press coverage in three days that it advertises the film for the rest of the year,” opined director Jean-Luc Godard uncompromisingly years ago. The local festival may not have been overly pleased, however, his claim proves that not to be seen in Cannes is a fundamental political film mistake. Nevertheless, does the feast of the Golden Palm have another face unmarked by the media or has it become a mandatory media parade, as pointed out in Godard’s stinging comment?
The documentary WAITING FOR HARVEY: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CANNES from 2000 represents one of the few cinematic reflections of the Cannes events. The directors and actors play their own parts, begging the question whether a film professional always sticks to his professional role in front of the camera. With humour and irony, director Stephen Walker introduces the local French star Erick Zonca as well as London-based filmmaker Mike Hakata.
However, the fact that Cannes is not only about boosting media attention is advocated by the Doc Alliance festival platform. It is for the second year that the Doc Alliance Selection Award, is presented there, representing the result of the vote of a jury of experts comprised of film critics from all seven European countries that have joined the alliance project. Symbolically, at the second edition of the Cannes presentation of the award in the form of a special diploma and a financial reward of 5 000 Euro, the award will go to a Portuguese filmmaker for a second time. DAS Award 2014 goes to young filmmaker André Valentin Almeida for his film THE QUEST OF THE SCHOONER CREOULA. His victory follows up on that of his compatriot, talented film narrator André Gil Mata, and his documentary CAPTIVITY awarded in 2013.
The last year winning Portuguese films, the film introduction to the film feast of Cannes as well as an interview with the brand new holder of DAS Award 2014 are available at DAFilms.com from May 19 to 25 for free!
DAFilms.com is powered by Doc Alliance, a creative partnership of 7 key European documentary film festivals. Our aim is to advance the documentary genre, support its diversity and promote quality creative documentary films.
