Cannes 2010 Grey Goose Insider Blog 0

by Joe Utichi for Grey Goose

During the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, Joe was commissioned by Grey Goose Vodka to write their ‘Grey Goose Insider’ blog on a daily basis. A list of links to all the blogs can be found at the end of this, the first entry.

From the moment you arrive in Cannes, more than 60 years of Film Festival heritage hits you bang in the face. It’s just unavoidable. It’s in the air here. Tangible. It’s a peculiar blend of lavish Cote d’Azur lifestyle with glamorous golden-era celebrity. Many who’ve trodden the length of the Croisette to attend their Black Tie premieres aren’t just actors and actresses; they’re icons.

Cannes is film’s European berth, a place in thrall to this particular art form. If you’ve even a passing interest in cinema, there’s no place quite like it. Hollywood, with its seedier side, just can’t compete – everywhere here screams silver screen glamour.

And it’s my home for the next 12 days for this 63rd Cannes Film Festival. I’ve thought of little else for the last two months, and now I’m on the ground I’m chomping at the bit for projectors to start kicking into gear and screening new films. I’ll survive 20-hour days, endure blistering heat and battering rain and sit through wantonly-boring melodramas at 8:30 in the morning. And I’ll love every last second.

Or, at least, that’s how I’ll remember it when I come back. For Cannes has a strange effect on me: as the sleep-deprivation starts to kick in – usually after the first weekend – my enjoyment will begin to ebb away, to be replaced by a sort of adrenalin-powered zombie state. I’ll feel my brain start to regress, and – sorry, readers – the effects will be noticeable.

But the moment I get in a cab to take me to Nice airport for the flight home, I become a totally different person. I miss it all immediately. In a second I remember nothing but brilliant experiences and I want a year to rush by so I can have another go. There are other film festivals to go to, other films to see, and other experiences to have. But nothing compares to Cannes.

So now my journey begins, and what a journey it promises to be. I’ll be seeing Wall Street 2, and new films from Woody Allen and Doug Liman. I’ll be rubbing shoulders with Michael Douglas and Oliver Stone. I’ll be chatting to Carey Mulligan, hanging out with Mick Jagger and walking the red carpet with Naomi Watts. And, of course, I’ll be hitting my share of glam parties, sampling luxurious new cocktails and soaking up the social atmosphere at the world’s greatest film festival.

Of course, Cannes is nothing if not totally exclusive. Even the people who live here need passes just to get around, and there’s little hope of a celebrity spotting or a film screening if your name isn’t on any of the lists. For the average moviegoer, it’s a closed party.

But that’s why I’m here. Following in the footsteps of last year’s Cannes guest blogger, Empire’s Chris Hewitt, I’m proud to be able to open the door on this year’s event and give you a peek at the goings-on. For the next 12 days I’ll be your eyes and ears on the ground and will be here to bring you the best news, the funniest anecdotes and the hottest films.

Read all of Joe’s Grey Goose Insider Blogs for the Cannes Film Festival 2010:

• Day 1: And Welcome to Cannes
• Day 2: The Festival Opened (And The Heavens Didn’t)
• Day 3: The Marche Du Film
• Day 4: Cannes Never Sleeps
• Day 5: Woody Allen and a Spare Tyre
• Day 6: Chatroom… And a Chat With Scorsese
• Day 7: Private Yacht and a Premiere
• Day 8: Serkis and Skywalker
• Day 9: Parkour and Politicis
• Day 10: Every Dog Has Its Day
• Day 11: Counting Down to the Awards with a Chopard Cocktail
• Day 12: All Over Bardem the Shouting