29
of course, in our celebrity-penetrated perversion of society are the stars. If they’re nominated, they’re tempted not only by the walk across the most famous of red carpets – accompanied by classical film symphonies and hailed by thousands of fans – but also by the proximity upcomingshortly following Formula 1 in Monte Carlo, and a three-day stay in luxury hotels like Le Majestic, the Carlton or Martinez (with its two helicopter landing pads). First class f lights included, of courseincluded. There are, of course, high returns – a normal apartment already costs € 2200 for those ten days in May. You can buy champagne for € 36 000 in normal restaurants – nevertheless the most expensive hotel in town, the Majestic, is fully booked 300 days in advance. And whoever wants to stay there has to be recommended by the festival. With all those superlatives, the press hype is a natural follow-on. Besides, the jet set likes to stage itself: Jerry Seinfeld sails on a tightrope from the tower of the Carlton to a private beach dressed like a bee. Naomi Campbell, as usual, celebrates her birthday to the max with star guests, and U2 (no, please...I know) give a late night concert on the red carpet. Speedboats illuminate the “Croisette” with fireworks, the world’s biggest yachts lie at anchor here, and whoever hasn’t been invited to the SoHo House Party in the little castle or to the Sharon Stone AmFAR Aids Dinner in the Mougin mountains is already a hasbeen. They don’t dig with spoons. In Cannes it’s all about pomp, exclusiveness, seeing and being seen. The principle is simple: in order to keep some of the so-called arthouse quality that is so important (as anchored in the original charter) for the cultural demands of a festival during all that hue and cry, the blockbusters are moved to so-called ‘Out of Competition’ sections. A trick that makes the impossible possible: art and commerce celebrate together. ‘Star Wars’, ‘Da Vinci Code’ or ‘X-Men’ are far too important to be missed in the art trade. The film studios are generous: rumour has it that six digit sums are finding their way back to the festival. After all, Cannes offers global media coverage. That’s priceless – even for Hollywood. And because money attracts those ones who pull the strings, the film market is close by: distribution rights are put up for worldwide sale. Another rumour suggests that about 20 percent of the annual film deals are closed in the lobby of the Majestic. True or not, it‘s business on a large scale. And to jolly the press along, they get the stars thrown at them during the day for interviews, or are invited to one of the countless society parties seething all over this city of 70 000 inhabitants. Up to 35 interviews in 11 days, 20 films, sleepless party nights and friends having sex in my bed or alternatively on the porch of my apartment. Cannes equals a state of emergency. I like to call it ‘festival mode’. No wonder that the allied forces wanted to bring some of that zest for life with a cultural touch to war-stricken Berlin. They called the capital a “window to a free world” after the liberation and tried to revive its former reputation as a European cultural metropolis with a vast cultural event. Well, they succeeded. Since its creation in 1951, the Berlinale opens the annual merry-
go-round as Europe’s first A-list festival. More than 200 000 sold tickets establish its status as the largest public festival of the world. It’s been on a continuous upswing these past years, with visitors from 120 countries since festival (entertainment) boss Dieter Kosslick with his Berlin how-modern-am-I charm brought back some glamour to the capital. Everybody speaks English, the Wiener Schnitzel at the Borchardt is delicious, and the thick red carpet keeps the high heels warm even when it’s cold outside. What more could the international stars ask for? A pretty good position that the three A-list festivals in Europe are in now! But why not America, you might ask. Isn’t the American film industry usually ahead of us? Why do they let it happen? Because they have to. And because their own system makes it impossible for them to do anything about it.
European chicness In Hollywood there’s always been the rule: what doesn’t work on the American market doesn’t work at all. As a consequence, American film festivals mainly take into consideration what might be said in their own press to achieve a good position on the US market, or give them the necessary buzz for the all-dominant opening weekend. Europe, they think, they can take care of later, and this arrogance destroys every chance of an internationally accepted and attended festival – and thereby of being part of the A-list ranking. Another reason may be that most of the culturally challenging movies that normally dominate the main program come from countries in which the art of film isn’t measured by box-office charts and gag rates yet. That Europe has always been dominant on the arthouse scene is a well-known fact. That an A-list festival is held in a place where most of the participating films are produced just makes sense. Last but not least, the advance in terms of time with the European festivals having been launched early turns out to be a great advantage over the otherwise dominating industry. Venice and Cannes happening in spring and late summer secured themselves dates for a Mediterranean festival climate that Berlin has also been lacking for years. By evening out this wet and cold disadvantage with its unique multicultural f lair, the capital bravely managed to maintain its position among the most popular festivals of the world. Whether you try to explain the advantages of the location Europe with structures, timing or history – what’ll always be there is the culture clash that turns European film festivals into very special events that make everybody, once infested with the virus, want to come back. Are we European? What do you think? I’d say as far as A-list festivals go, we clearly have to answer this with a resounding “Yes!”.