Paris to Cannes

It’s tight. Wake later than ideal and have to pack suitcase, shave legs, pay for new business cards, pick up reheeled boots and borrow travel iron from Greta before getting to Gare de Lyon. Luckily Pachino takes the morning off so makes café crème, folds dresses (French men are good like that) and keeps eye on clock. Panic arrives with traffic as we are behind a removalist in a one-way street then jam near Pere- Lachaise. But impressively, Pachino weaves and curses and honks and we slide thought gaps, down side streets and arrive with time to meet Daren, the Australian production designer of Samson & Delilah screening in  ‘A Certain Regard’  and with whom I’ll be sharing the apartment. He advises to buy sandwich as there’s a café strike- being France and being May.

Finally on the TGV with chipped nails (ran out of time, note to self paint at apartment!) and happy that guy opposite has just woken from heavy snoring- 5 ½ hours to go.

Have a rendez vous with Daren in the dry café  and will find out who the Australian girl is sitting over to the right with a smiley Indian guy. Overhears her mentioning Venice and shooting.

Cannes plan:

• 1. Interviews with and updates from stimulating, intriguing and next wave filmmakers and industry people for Screen Hub Australia and Ruby TV, short vibrant webcasts for Paris Voice and gathering of story material for other freelance articles
• 2. Photos, videos and quotes
• 3. Not embarrass self and country by asking a French star I don’t recognise what they do in the film industry
• 4. See entertaining and enthralling  films; meet enlightening people

The Australian girl is Rubia Braum, a young producer now based in India with 3 films in the market. Her business partner in Kranthi Varma and they both worked previously for Village Roadshow in Melbourne. Rubia tells me her goals for the next ten days…  five years.

Six hours after Paris departure, arrive in Cannes. It’s balmy! Police controlling the escalators as close domino collides with the hurl of sparkling clothed festival tourists and participants.  Hail cab and head out to beach and along coastline to our perfect (albeit 40 min – beach- walk) apartment overlooking water and mountains. Housemate Andrew Lancaster arrives. Andrew went to film school (AFTRS) with Daran years back and has his film ‘Accidents Happen’ in the market (already Australian distribution deal with Hopscotch). He’s on the tail of a trip to New York where the film, a drama about a dysfunctional family set in Sydney and starring Geena Davis, screen at the Tribecca Film festival.

Off to pick up accreditation passes and manage to get non official but willing driver (from hotel next to our apartment) and Daren, not believing our luck, dances in circles singing ‘I should be so lucky’. Having been anticipating long daily walk, I’m singing on the inside. Watch some replays of the opening ceremony and Jury photo call (headed by Isabelle Huppert).

With cheesy French hip hop pumping from the van, we bop away until William the Great drops us off at La Croisette and, hallelujah, palms us his mobile number.

We actually walk home along the beach though as it’s past midnight and we’ve dined at a deliberately styled but rustic and good pizza restaurant Pastis, witnessed a, we- reckon- fake Paparazzi, and a drunk stumbling along with a bottle of champagne (only in France), ‘homeless’ boys with a sign ‘it’s just for the beer and the drugs’. Also bumped into Warwick Thornton and Kath Shelper in black tie (Kath in impressively glittering silver heels). They’ve just come out of the screening of the opening film UP and are waiting for the Disney party to begin. They’re slightly jetlagged still, having arrived only yesterday but have had lots of attention and interest and are excited to be here.

Tomorrow- Screen Australia drinks.