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Oh, the film biz. It’s all about who you know. And what you know. And what you don’t know. And this is why I’m going to the Cannes Film Festival and staying in a convent!
Why I’m going to the Cannes Film Festival and staying in a convent
I’m going to the Cannes Film Festival and staying in a convent so I can change the tagline of my blog from: ‘A luxury travel blog for those who love to laugh’ to ‘A convent travel blog for those who love to laugh.’
Seriously, have you ever seen that old movie The Trouble with Angels, where Haley Mills goes to a convent boarding school and gets into all kinds of scrapes and then finds redemption? That’s going to be me!
Before I explain more about why I’m going to the Cannes Film Festival and staying in a convent, you must know something about the jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
Let’s talk about the Cannes Film Festival Jury!
If you thought there was only one official jury at the Cannes Film Festival you would be wrong. If you never thought at length about any of the Cannes Film Festival juries before you would be me. Correction: you would be the old me. I am much smarter this year.
There are 3 official juries at the Cannes Film Festival
- First, there is the big-deal Feature Films Jury. Last year the President of the Jury was Steven Spielberg. This year it is Jane Campion, who directed The Piano and won the big Cannes Prize, the Palme d’Or, in 1993.
- Then there is the FIPRESCI Jury. This is the the international federation of film critics and the purpose of their International Film Critics Award, the FIPRESCI Prize, is to “promote film-art and to encourage new and young cinema.”
- The third official jury at the Cannes Film Festival is – insert drumroll here – the Ecumenical Jury. And ecumenical means (I confess, I had to look it up) “of, relating to, or representing the whole of a body of churches.” Thank you Miriam Webster.
What is the reason for the Ecumenical Jury, you ask? Let me tell you: The Ecumenical Jury seeks to “honour works of artistic quality which witnesses to the power of film to reveal the mysterious depths of human beings through what concerns them, their hurts and failings as well as their hopes.”
In layman’s terms, the Ecumenical Jury awards a movie that is transformative and redeeming.
When you think of a film that is transformative and redeeming, don’t you immediately think of the Italian movie, The Great Beauty, which is my new favourite movie of ALL TIME (except for Diva, Desperately Seeking Susan, that skinhead flick Romper Stomper and of course, the aforementioned The Trouble with Angels)?
The Great Beauty is completely redeeming, even though it involves nightclubs, decadence, shallowness, drinking to the point of oblivion and at least one one night stand.
Oh, but the surge of hope and fresh morning air at the end. Love it. Love it. And now I want to move to Rome and write one great book and then go to nightclubs for the rest of my life until I undergo self realization.
The Cannes Film Festival – it’s all about who you know
So, let me tell you how I am finally living my dreams and channeling Hayley Mills in The Trouble with Angels, and why I’m going to the Cannes Film Festival and staying at a convent.
I have a friend on the Ecumenical Jury. (Hi Kristine!) And she can invite a friend. And that friend gets a laissez-passer accreditation. And that means I’ll be terribly important and famous and everything. (I’m almost sure of it, even though I have no idea what laissez-passer actually means.) Maybe I’ll be even more famous than Hayley Mills was in 1969!
And we are staying at a convent in Cannes!
The Cannes Film Festival 2014 runs from May 14-25. And of course I will be covering all the excitement of the Cannes Film Festival 2014 for WanderingCarol.
And when I’m not busy getting into adorable scrapes and shenanigans at the convent, no doubt I’ll be hanging around with Ryan Gosling, Catherine Deneuve, Meryl Streep and Robert Pattinson – just as soon as I figure out a travel wardrobe that goes from convent to red carpet.
So, hey Woody! Wait up! Yoohoo, Penelope, over here! Hey, is that Gerard Depardieu? Come back, wait! I want to tell you about my mischievous hijinks at the convent …
Read more on the sexy South of France: Visit my travel blog post Things to do do in the South of France for ideas about where to go, what to see and what do once you’re there.
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Terrific Carol. Reading this I think, ‘How could you not go?’ You were made for the red carpet. Maybe to prep yourself you could watch that Hayley Mills movie where she is with her grandmother or someone on a yacht in the mediterranean and there are all the beautiful lights on the night water reflected off the boat. I wonder what film that was?
Gorgeous photos–I can’t wait for your Cannes posts, Carol. Why don’t you make your own little film of the whole glamorous adventure? I’d love to see it! The Trouble with Angels was just on TCM last week, a favorite of mine since I was small. Come to think of it, I actually know someone who named her daughter after Hayley Mills…
I wonder if you’ll be hanging out with the Ecumenical Jury and if so, what you’ll wear? Something white or maybe black? Definitely not both or you could be mistaken for a nun. Wait, that could be a good thing as you could sneak into the after hour parties and get to see Javier Bardem. Unfortunately you’d be dressed as a nun but still…
You are the best! Love this.
Thanks EuroTrip, Hope to see you there!
HAHAHA I also wanna go to Cannes! Can’t wait to read your stories