Well the beach has been cleaned and tidied since the ten metre freak wave hit the coastline last Tuesday. Folk are still rigging pavilions in the international village. All systems go for tonight’s Robin Hood opening. Weather is unseasonably cold.
It’s all boots and jackets for now which of course suits me down to a tee. Catching up with APSA Nominations Council member, Philip Cheah tonight who is here for Locarno. We will customarily talk music and meditation. Going over the screening schedule for my hit list of competition films and market screenings. 19 films will compete with Jury President Tim Burton taking his job seriously. Keen to see Takeshi Kitano’s latest gangster offering, Outrage. Have heard great things from Japan on this one. Word from Iran is that Abbas Kiarostami’s new film and Palme d’Or contender Certified Copy is amazing. It’s Kiarostami’s first film made outside of Iran and stars the heroine of the 63rd Cannes poster, Juliette Binoche. Of course Nikita Mikhalkov’s The Exodus – Burnt by the Sun 2 is a must. Lee Chang-dong a two time APSA winner and all round nice guy will compete with Poetry. I have also heard good reports on fellow Korean Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid. Fingers and toes are crossed an Asia-Pacific film comes out on top. Staying with the Screen Producer’s Association of Australia (SPAA) team up the hill at Avenue de Grasse. Julie Marlow and Geoff Brown have spoilt me rotten and assisted with getting my head around Cannes. We also have a lovely house guest in Brian Rosen who is here for project meetings. Gorgeous French house with peaches, grapes and figs. I am in garden bliss.