DIARY
Today Rain
Edited by Sarah Cooper
sarah.cooper@
screendaily.com Jacob’s red-carpet royalty
BY MELANIE GOODFELLOW Never in the history of Cannes have so many acclaimed directors gathered on the red carpet as at the premiere of the Gilles Jacob- orchestrated anthology film To Each His Own Cinema (Chacun Son Cinéma) in 2007. Produced by the festival presi-
dent to mark Cannes’ 60th anni- versary, the film featured 35 three-minute shorts by 36 world- renowned directors on the subject of the cinema theatre. “I think it was a record for a
film consisting of sketches, apart from perhaps Dino Risi’s [1963 film] I Mostri,” says Jacob. Nearly all of the film’s directors
Gilles Jacob
— including the late Theodoros Angelopoulos and Raul Ruiz as well as Jane Campion, Walter Salles, Nanni Moretti, Wim Wend- ers and Ken Loach — attended the premiere. Five years later, on the 65th
anniversary of the festival, Jacob is presenting his documentary A Special Day (Une Journée Particuli- ere), capturing life behind the scenes of the event, which gath- ered the directors together for most of the day. “I know that, for a thousand rea-
sons, it will be difficult to set up a similar gathering any time soon. It gave me goose bumps seeing them all together, all united, brotherly, human, so affectionate towards me and the festival,” says Jacob. The documentary, which
screens out of competition today at 5.30pm in Théatre Claude Debussy, is dedicated to the mem- ories of Angelopoulos and Ruiz.
Gondry’s Bronx bunch soak up Cannes vibes
BYSARAHCOOPER After a stint on the short film jury last year, Michel Gondry is back in Cannes with his latest feature, The We And The I, a study of group dynamics on the number 66 bus on the last day of term at a school in the Bronx, which was the open- ing film of Directors’ Fortnight. The stars of the film, all non-
actors telling their real-life stories of growing up in the Bronx, are also in town to promote the film. Given that none of them has left the US before, being in Cannes is clearly an experience for them and they are an adorable bunch, all wide-eyed and not at all jaded, like most of the folk in Cannes. For Gondry, working with non-
actors was a revelation, especially as they were not demanding trail-
No pain, no gain
The DPA gift suite at the Carlton (rooms 144 and 145) is offering more than just designer sun- glasses and haute couture fashion. I had my eyebrows vigorously
plucked by a beautician from Madrid-based beauty boutique The Lab Room, who has tended to the brows of celebrities including Penelope Cruz (not that I came out looking like her). Then there was the Keimling
spinach smoothie, which didn’t look very appealing but certainly tasted healthy. Turns out it was made in a $824 blender. And that’s why the DPA suite is meant for A-list stars, not impoverished jour- nalists.
Michel Gondry and his young cast
ers and special treatment. “Com- pared to any other actor, it was a dream. They’re so happy to be part of the adventure. They don’t crave to be something they are not. I have a good relationship with actors and I like them, but there is something wrong with being an actor,” says Gondry, who neverthe- less decided to take a part in his
latest project, Mood Indigo, an adaptation of Boris Vian’s fantasti- cal romance L’Ecume Des Jours, which is currently filming in Paris. “It was so weird, I forgot to
direct the actors. And I kind of understood why actors need to be complimented,” says the French director, who is still developing his animated Noam Chomsky doc.
High 16°c (61°f)
Tomorrow
Rain and sunny intervals High 16°c (61°f)
Meet the debutants GONZALO TOBAL, VILLEGAS
Gonzalo Tobal
Argentinian director Gonzalo Tobal’s first feature is a road movie about two cousins going to their grandfather’s funeral in a small town called Villegas. It screens out of competition today and is being sold by Urban Distribution International.
Is this your first trip to Cannes? I’ve been twice before with two short films, Now Everybody Seems To Be Happy in 2007 [which won the Cinéfondation first prize] and Cynthia Still Got The Keys, which was in Critics’ Week in 2010. But to have a feature here is completely different. It’s an experience you don’t forget.
Where did the film originate? I went to the town of Villegas with a friend of mine by chance. And I discovered a new social environment there which I hadn’t seen shown in films: upper middle- class farmers who have children who are more urbanised. I spent two or three years developing the script and also raising the funding.
How was your experience shooting in Argentina? I always like to shoot outside Buenos Aires, where I live, though it’s hard being far away for a long period of time. I love writing stories about Argentina, but I
wanted to show something new about my country and environment, rather than telling the same stories that have already been told.
How would you describe the film? It’s a bit like an American indie film. A road movie, a buddy movie. It’s about a strong relationship between two guys. And it’s also about the family. I tried to concentrate on my characters and develop the real feeling of the trip they go on.
Do you think the film will have international appeal? We have been getting some good feedback and we have had interest from distributors. I think the film has something very universal about it. Though I’m still surprised, I didn’t really expect it.
Will you get to see any films? I hope so, but I’m going to be very busy. I’ve also produced a short film which is in competition, Y
eguas Y Cotorras, directed by Natalia Garagiola.
What are you working on next? A new screenplay. Both are very different but I guess they will inevitably share images and ideas with Villegas in the end. Sarah Cooper
In Cannes this weekend, Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto reflected on her forthcoming role in Desert Dancer, the new movie from UK outfit May 13 Films. The film is based on the true story of Afshin Ghaffarian, who risked his life to become a dancer in Iran, a country where dancing in public is illegal. Pinto is to play Ghaffarian’s girlfriend… and, yes, she is to dance in the movie. Pinto expressed her dismay at the way the mainstream media in the west portrayed the Green Revolution in Iran. “What I read and what I saw on television is not what happened,” she said. “It’s the same way you [the media] sensationalise everything… having been to Afghanistan before, and shooting a film in Israel just made me realise that what you see on TV and what you read is not really what it is.”
Geoffrey Macnab n 18 Screen International at Cannes May 20, 2012
Villegas
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