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The beaches have cleared. The free bar you and your crew have been aggressively consuming has packed away the empty wine glasses and all that remains is the mystery-meat finger food that was prepared in such an avant grade fashion no one was brave enough to try it. As you make your way towards the exit you shove the last of the business cards into your pocket and down the drink in your hand. So concludes another day at the Cannes Film Festival. And so begins another night…
"We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane" - Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
Cannes is like a jungle – without knowing the terrain and routes, it’s easy to become lost… and slowly to go insane. There are too many people there, too much money and not enough time. If you are going to Cannes (or any other film festival for that matter) it’s imperative for you to understand the basic topology of the festival’s environment to prevent a filmmaker’s apocalypse occurring in the swanky shores of the French Riviera (trust me, it happens). So before getting into the details of Cannes, let me just lay out a basic map of how the screenings work.
6.30pm. Happy hour in Cannes. We are are standing on the beachfront at a networking event, listening attentively to a film pitch. The man eagerly pitching his idea to us has no idea we are film students with no money to finance his films. He rattles off his treatment – something about water, masculinity and wrinkled hands. We demurely sip our beers and nod attentively while trying to seem important. It was the perfect beginning to an incredibly hectic, humorous and fun filled journey at the Cannes Film Festival.
Centre for Film and Media Studies students, Jackie Ruth Murray and Mia Cilliers,both master’s students will be showcasing their films at the Encounters International Documentary Film Festival, which is currently running until 12 June 2016 in both Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The CFMS films will be screened at Encounters International Documentary Film Festival at the following dates;
The Daily Dose directed by Jackie Ruth Murray - Labia Theatre 1, SA Shorts 2, at 18:30 on Wednesday, 8 June.
Six to Six - directed by Mia Cilliers - Labia Theatre 1, SA Shorts 3, at 18:30 on Friday, 10 June.
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