Cannes Film Festival 2015

Following my first Cannes experience last year, I was really excited (and way less nervous) about going. I knew what to expect this time; from the terrible films to the midday heat, I was more than prepared for the ups and downs that the 68th Festival de Cannes would bring.

The first major difference was my lack of patience compared to last year. Whilst navigating the crammed Croisette with 5 minutes to get to a screening, in searing sunshine with remnants of a hangover, a group of tourists posing for a selfie seems like an unforgivable act, rather than what it actually is: a perfectly reasonable thing to do whilst enjoying your holiday in a beautiful location. They received passive aggressive sighs, which didn't get me to the screenings any quicker.

Last year, my floor-length gown returned home in the same bag I purchased it in, despondent and disappointed with its tags still attached. However, this year we were lucky enough to obtain invites to two evening screenings. Even more exciting was the fact that one of them was Mad Max: Fury Road, which I desperately wanted to see. The red carpet for Mad Max was extremely busy, and whilst the atmosphere was amazing, I didn’t really get a chance to take it all in. I absolutely loved the film though. As soon as it finished, we headed straight back to the front of the Palais for Tale of Tales. It was dark by that time, so the red carpet was much more exciting. The bright lights and flashing cameras really added to the moment, and there were fewer people on the carpet with us. The view from the top of the steps was magical, and something I’ll never ever forget. Unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy Tale of Tales, but the evening as a whole was amazing.

This year there were many more opportunities to meet new people, as well as catching up with all the awesome people I met last year. Our first night dinner for festival organisers was one such opportunity. It was a great crowd, the wine was flowing, and it was great to finally sit and sample some tasty French cuisine (last year was more a case of grabbing whatever, whenever). The European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation cocktail party was an afternoon well spent, and as with last year, the Fantastic Mixer party was over way too quickly. Funny how time flies when you’re sipping champagne and stuffing your face with savoury treats.

Sadly I didn’t make it to the Cinema de la Plage this time. The one film I was interested in seeing just happened to coincide with a party on a yacht, to celebrate the launch of ‘Flix Premiere’. Unsurprisingly, the yacht won. On our way to the party, we decided to set the tone by stopping at the Carlton International for a cocktail on the sun terrace. That was something I’d always wanted to do, because the Carlton definitely feels like the centre of the A-list universe in Cannes, with fans gravitating towards its entrance in the hopes of spotting a star. And last year I was only in there briefly to use the toilets. With horror stories of 20 euro coffees, I was well prepared for an extortionate bill. Thank goodness I was prepared. It was a gorgeous martini though…

By the final day I was pretty exhausted and desperate to get back to my own bed, after having camped out in the apartment’s living room (the bunk beds provided were a disaster waiting to happen). I looked tired from the late nights, and heavier from the endless consumption of bread. I had run out of Berocca and euros. My search for Jake Gyllenhaal had failed. But saddest of all, I was leaving beautiful Cannes, and normal life was about to resume. Fortunately, normal life is a hell of a lot cheaper.