And the winners are…: The Awards at Cannes 2018

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Features

Published on Monday, 21 May 2018 14:12

Written by Marian Masone

It’s always interesting to note the afterlife, as it were, of an award-winning film. Some of the Cannes award winners will get U.S. distribution, have great runs and perhaps even wind up in the Oscar awards race come the following year. Others may languish, never get domestic distribution and only get a few more festival slots. It can happen. But right now all the winners will be celebrated, at least for this moment.

Belgian first time director Lukas Dhont won the Camera d’or for his first feature “Girl.” It should be noted that Victor Polster won the acting prize in Un Certain Regard, the section that presented the film. [The Camera d’or award for first feature film can be awarded to a film from any section at Cannes: competition, Un certain regard, Directors Fortnight, Critics Week. Each of these sections has their own juries and awards for everything else.]

“Girl” is the story of a young transgender dancer that caused some controversy for casting a male actor in the lead role of Lara (some felt it should have been a transgender actor, perhaps?), but 15 year old actor Victor Polster won the best acting award in the Un Certain Regard section. So there.

The screenplay prize was shared this year. Alice Rohrwacher (“Corpo Celesto,” “The Wonders”) took the award for “Happy Lazaro” while Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (“The White Balloon, “The Circle”) took it for “3 Faces.” “3 Faces” is the fourth film Panahi has made since being handed a 20-year ban on making films by the Iranian government in 2010.

Pawel Pawlikowski (“Ida”) received the directing award for his black and white study of artistic freedom, or lack thereof, during the Soviet age in Poland. In addition to great cinematography the film boasts fantastic music that spans genres and generations.

Headed by Cate Blanchett, this year’s jury included directors Ava Duvernay, Robert Guediguian, Denis Villeneuve and Andrey Zvyagintsev; actors Chen Chang, Lea Seydoux and Kristen Stewart; and musician Khadja Nin. The group gave out three “special” or “grand” or simply “jury” prizes leading up to the Palme d’Or, which was awarded to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s extended family drama “Shoplifters.” This story of petty thieves who take in a lost child speaks to what constitutes a family.

As for the rest, a Special Palme d’Or went to Jean-Luc Godard for his latest film (which he claims will be his last) “Image Book.” I believe Godard receives awards now just for being him, so this award could have nothing to do with the film itself.

Spike Lee’s stunning “BlackkKlansman” received the Grand Prix. This is generally though of as the second place prize, and it’s usually awarded when the jury may not be unanimous in their decision for the Palme d’Or. Given that Nadine Labaki’s “Capharnaum” about a young boy suing his parents for divorce, got a jury prize, it may just be that the jury wanted to spread the wealth.

In another nod at shaking things up this year, the Closing Night festivities ended with a concert on the steps of the Palais. Sting was there, as well as Lenny Kravitz. They rocked the red carpet as the  jury, prize winners and guests boogied out of the hall.

Some of these films have come out of Cannes with U.S. distributors, some went in with distributors. Others may find deals down the road. Let’s hope they all find a way to U.S. shores, as each is definitely a winner.

Remembering: Cannes pays Tribute to Two Titans of Cinema

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Features

Published on Saturday, 19 May 2018 15:55

Written by Marian Masone

In addition to the official selection of films, the Cannes Film Festival has a tribute or two or three. These are small, casual events honoring people in various aspects of the 7th Art. Among the special events this year was an evening honoring cinematographer Ed Lachman, and a program remembering the late Pierre Rissient, who passed away just before the festival began.

In addition to his work as a DP, Ed Lachman is a huge cinephile. I’ve had the privilege of watching and discussing films with him during many editions of the New York Film Festival. On May 18th the Cannes festival presented the Pierre Angenieux Excellens award to him.

Given since 2013, the award is given by the Angenieux Lens company to distinguished cinematographers. Lachman has worked with major directors, including Todd Solondz, Ulrich Siedl, Robert Altman, Steven Soderbergh, Sofia Coppola, Paul Schrader, Mira Nair, Susan Seidelman, Wim Wenders and Todd Haynes, who was on hand to honor him.

After remarks from friends and colleagues both present and via video and a clip reel (the same one I worked on with Jump Cut Creative for last year’s Gotham Awards tribute to Lachman in New York City), Lachman was presented with a high-end camera lens with his name engraved on it as a trophy.

At the same time, the company gave what is titled ‘Special Encouragement’ to young Chinese cinematographer Cecile Zhang. Zhang is a recent graduate of the Beijing Film Academy and will have her choice of an Angenieux lens for her next project.

In his remarks, Ed summed up the importance of cinematography in the filmmaking food chain. The work of the cinematographer is, he said, “responding to time, space and light.”

I generally fly to Paris for a day or two before taking the train to Cannes for the festival, and my itinerary was no different this year. On Saturday night I had dinner at a French journalist friend’s home. Other friends who were in the business were there as well, one of whom had just visited Pierre Rissient earlier that day. On Sunday night, at another friend’s home for dinner (this time an American filmmaker), we were mourning Pierre, who had died suddenly that morning.
 
His death on May 6, just two days before the festival opened, gave Cannes the opportunity to pay tribute to a man who was instrumental in introducing so many filmmakers to the world through the festival.
 
Pierre was one of those film people whose exact job (at least later in life) was difficult to describe. Film programmer, publicist, scout: He did all of those things and more, sometimes in an official capacity, sometimes not. But he brought untold amounts of filmmakers to the attention of the Cannes festival and therefore to the world, including Clint Eastwood and Jane Campion.

He started out talking himself into a job as a film programmer at the MacMahon cinema in Paris when he was a teenager. He went on to become a publicist - along with friend Bertrand Tavernier. And he developed his keen ability to discover new talent.

I met Pierre at the New York Film Festival many years ago. I’d been working with the festival for just a couple of years so was young and still a bit inexperienced. Pierre had a big deep voice and very strong opinions, but even though we disagreed about a short film that was being shown, he enjoyed listening to me and debating the film with me. I’ve always appreciated that about him.

In Cannes on May 14th, some of his great longtime friends reminisced about Pierre. Thierry Fremaux, head of the festival, Tavernier, and writers Scott Foundas and Todd McCarthey all shared memories. This impromptu tribute was followed by a screening of the 1982 film  “Cinq et la peau,” one of two films he directed.

Pierre was indeed a fixture at Cannes. He will be missed. And he cannot be replaced.

Time’s Up on the Croisette: #MeToo at Cannes

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Features

Published on Wednesday, 16 May 2018 10:24

Written by Marian Masone

Since the Festival de Cannes seemed to be ground zero for at least one sexual predator (Harvey Weinstein), much focus as been put on the festival to change its ways, not just in terms of women’s safety, but by incorporating many more women filmmakers in the festival.

While there were only three female directors in the competition – or maybe because there were only three female directors in the competition – parity in the field was a recurring theme throughout the festival. Panels on women and the film industry were everywhere: the American Pavilion hosted a panel entitled Hollywood in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp on May 16th. Moderated by Melissa Silverstein of Women & Hollywood, guests included casting director Pamela Guest, a casting director who is on the SAG-AFTRA board and part of its Sexual Harassment Workgroup; Yolanda Brinkley, creator of the Diversity Symposium, a short film showcase in Cannes and Dionne Audain, an actor who appears in a short film, “I Am My Own Mother” in the Cannes official selection. Not a part of the festival, Brinkley’s event aims to help those who feel as outsiders at the festival – and there are many of them – feel as though they do belong at this convention of the industry.

The talk at the American Pavilion was focused on protection of actors, at work and also at the casting level and, as its title indicates with a focus on the U.S. Hollywood system. For a broader view, there was an official panel in the Salon des Ambassades, inside the Palais, entitled Take Two: Next Steps for Me Too three days prior, on May 13. Melissa Silverstein was there again but she was joined by an international panel of woman and men. Alice Bahkuhnke, Sweden’s Minister for Culture and Democracy, talked about Sweden’s affirmative feminist government: for a number of years, that country has built parity into arts and media funding, for one thing. Still, she’s angry that this equality still has to be legislated – “we have to do this to make it happen,” she declared. Looking for the day, I suppose, when laws aren’t necessary. But I don’t think that day will ever come.

Anna Serner, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute, talked about determining the quality of projects they fund. They look at relevance, originality, production values and craft. So, not just “I have a feeling.” As they’re finalizing projects, they look at the percentage of women associated with the projects to see how they’re doing and then make adjustments, if necessary, to fit into the parity laws.

Stacy Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at USC (which has been studying women in the media issues for years), talked about many of the studies the Annenberg Center has done (on percentages of women in front of and behind the camera, for instance) and they follow up these studies to see if there’s any movement. To counter bias in the film industry, the Center has fought to have inclusion riders about hiring in all contracts – and they’ve won that fight.

She also spoke about shifting the perception of what leadership is, or even, how a good leader acts. And she pushed to do this early on in one’s career in the industry, or even before. She wants to foster  belonging at film schools, to make everyone feel that they are wanted, that they belong. Good thoughts, but it sounds remarkably like speeches given a generation ago – and that only got us to here.

Filmmaker Aida Begilc, another panelist, made the most cogent commnet of the day: “Privilege is not visible to those who have it.” The one male on the panel, Cameron Bailey, Co-Head of the Toronto Film Festival, seemed to see privilege, but then, he is a person of color, so doesn’t have all the privilege! As for personnel at TIFF, he said it’s not difficult to have majority women on a staff, you just do it. His programming team boasts twelve females and nine males. At Toronto, they also question what is quality, as well as questioning the stories being told – are they coming from a diverse perspective?

Panels only go so far. To draw attention to the problem, 82 women in the film industry – actors, directors, sales agents, distributors – stood en masse on the red carpet of the Palais on Saturday May 12th before the premiere screening of one of the three female-directed films in the competition, Eva Husson’s “Girls of the Sun.” The 82 women stood in stark contrast to the number of men who have climbed these steps with films in competition over the course of 71 editions of the festival: 1,688.

With Cate Blanchett, the jury president, speaking in English, and veteran filmmaker Agnes Varda speaking in French, they read a statement that demanded diverse and equitable workplaces, in addition to more women filmmakers represented at the festival’s official programs.

Two days later, on May 14th, Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux, as well as the heads of the Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week, signed the 50/50 – 2020 pledge to have equal representation of women filmmakers in their competitions by 2020. They also pledged transparency in the process. This all sounds promising, but they only have two years to do it; let’s see what happens.