The French Riviera – The Cannes film festival

Once a year, in the middle of May, Cannes holds it’s breath, all the local residents either curse silently and take a few days holiday in the country or look forward to watching the ensuing mayhem.

The massive influx of wealthy film stars and movie producers invariably brings traffic to a standstill in Cannes. Thousands of tourists, hoping for a glimpse of their favorite actors and actresses pour into town. Ferarris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis line the sidewalks but if you have any sense, you’ll leave the car at home for this one. A scooter is the only sensible way of getting around Cannes during the festival. Take a look at the picture taken of outside the Palais de festival. That’s a quiet day.

The promise of glitz, glamour and maybe even a free pass to the latest Hollywood blockbuster along with a plethora of half-naked movie stars strutting their stuff on the beach is enough to drag in tourists from all over the world. Everyone who is anyone in the movie business is right here in Cannes during the festival, but the most entertaining ones are the not-quite-made-it-yets hanging on the fringes. Every screenplay writer, would-be starlet and Next Big Thing in Producers is here too.

The chance of getting up close and personal with your favorite star is highly unlikely because if one group outnumbers the movie stars, it’s the security guards. Every private security firm for miles around is drafted in to make certain the public keeps their distance.

A few tips:

The residents of Cannes are given free passes to some of the movies and will often sell or give them away outside the movie theater on the day of the screening. If you don’t have a ticket, just go along to the theater half an hour before the show is due to start and you will often be able to pick up a free ticket. Every one ignores the celebrity scandals for the week as well.

If you are going out for a drink in the evening with the hope of bumping into someone in the business, go away from the main strip along the sea front called “La Croisette” and head a couple of blocks in land. There are many smaller, less popular bars, some of them in the Hotels that are far more likely to have what you are looking for. And of course, no write-up of the Cannes Film festival would be complete without a photo of Paris Hilton showing the world her cooch as usual.

Cannes is absolutely crazy during the film festival and even if you don’t get the chance to meet the idol of your dreams, the atmosphere, the sun and sea and the chance to mingle, if only from a distance make it well worth the trip. Some of the less visible theaters will also show a selection of old movies of you are lucky. If you really want to rub shoulders with the stars, there is another festival a few miles down the road that is far less well attended and publicized, but that’s for another Hub. Watch this space.