Things to know about the Cannes Film Festival red carpet
Do you love to watch red carpet events? Known worldwide for hosting the Cannes Film Festival, the Palais des Festivals in the South of France has become one of the most famous venues in the world. Over the course of the event, 2,300 invited guests walk the Palais’ bright red carpet and climb the 24 iconic red steps every night, as photographers yell for their attention. The red carpet steps are the flagship of the festival and are the part that draws the most media attention. Did you know the carpet is changed out every day?
When and where is the Cannes Film Festival taking place?
The world’s leading film festival, which celebrates the best names in the film industry, will take place from 17 to 28 May this year, shining a spotlight on emerging and established filmmakers and famous movie stars. What better way to enjoy the best of this world-class event than from your own yacht? Taking place in the sophisticated city of Cannes along the famous yachting hotspot of the French Riviera, this prestigious event transforms the town into a thriving hub of activity. A celebration of the art of film, the festival encompasses film premieres, luxurious events and parties.
As the central focal point of the film festival is in the old port of Cannes, the Vieux Port, yachts have more and more become one of the main attractions of the event. A Cannes Film Festival charter yacht is the most exciting and thrilling way to experience these special days in the French Riviera. Leading filmmakers, actors and models all walk the red carpet outside the Palais to attend premieres, placing the port in the center of the action. You and your friends and family can feel the electric and buzzing atmosphere of the festival from the deck of your yacht, while sipping your favorite cocktails!
The history of The Cannes Film Festival
The first International Film Festival dates from 1946. The festivities, opened in the gardens of the Grand Hôtel by the American singer Grace Moore, continued throughout the competition, with an array of entertaining events. A cosmopolitan atmosphere was created with fireworks, torchlit parades, promenades, doves released into the sky, flower battles on the Croisette, air displays, fashion shows and the election of the first Miss Festival, to name but a few. The overall feeling was light-hearted and the attending movie stars couldn’t wait to discover the region’s charms. Almost everyone is familiar with the love story of the Princess of Monaco which is intertwined with the festival. In 1954, a young American actress, Grace Kelly, came to the Côte d’Azur with Cary Grant to shoot a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. She participated in the International Film Festival the following year and met Prince Rainier of Monaco. They were married on 22 April 1956, the day before the Festival opened.
While the first few festivals were primarily society events, in which almost every film that was screened picked up a prize, the sight of stars from all four corners of the globe processing up the famous red steps and the constant swarm of media attention soon turned it into a world-famous, legendary happening. The history of Cannes and the cinema continued to be written year by year, with the eyes of the world focused on the red carpet and the celebrities walking it.
The city of Cannes and the film industry
In order to achieve this level of longevity, the organization has remained faithful to its founding purpose: to draw attention to and raise the profile of films, with the aim of contributing towards the development of cinema, boosting the film industry worldwide and celebrating cinema at an international level. The festival is very keen to discover new talent and act as a springboard for creation. Talent-seekers travel the world and scour film festivals each year to unearth the most promising directors.
The organization of the festival is also mindful of the fact that a film’s success and its director’s reputation above all depend on how it is received in cinemas. The opening film is therefor released in French cinemas on the same day as its screening at Cannes and the opening ceremony has been broadcast in cinemas enabling audiences to experience the festival launch night live. Visit the open-air screening at the Cinéma de la Plage with your loved ones! It screens a different film each night, often in the presence of prestigious guests.
Since 2002 the city has started embracing its position in world cinema by putting up large murals all over Cannes, showing iconic actors, characters and scenes from cherished movies. After you have enjoyed your delicious breakfast your chef has prepared for you, take a stroll in the port and the town to find and admire these pieces of art using the map your chief stewardess has provided. At the Palais des Festivals, to the side of the building, you will be able to see the handprints of cinema’s biggest stars, with Sophia Loren, Clint Eastwood, Charlton Heston and Richard Gere among them. On Boulevard Vallombrossa, a painting of Charlie Chaplin and The Kid is exposed on a strip of celluloid. There is a touch of trompe-l’oeil to many of these pieces of art, like the painting of Harold Lloyd on Louis Braille, which shows the silent star hanging from the clock hands, as in the movie Safety Last from 1923. If you know your movie cars, you will appreciate the fresco at the Berthelot-ex Diabolika car park, where the Batmobile, Travis Bickle’s Taxi and Starsky and Hutch’s Gran Torino can be found! The immortal goddess of cinema, Marilyn Monroe, graces the side of a building easily seen from the flyover road above the train station. Now you truly will feel submersed in the world of film!
Enjoy the beautiful city of Cannes during the day and watch the red carpet events at night from the comfort of your yacht and experience the best that world cinema has to offer during your charter in the South of France!
