ONE GIRL'S GUIDE TO
NAVIGATING THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILM CORNER
AND GENERALLY NOT DYING IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE
1. Your first Cannes is kind of a throw away.
I was told this by another lovely female filmmaker from the Short Film Corner (or SFC) late in my week. I know it doesn’t sound super encouraging, but hearing her say it validated some of the bumps along my experience. My first few days at Cannes were a complete blur. Finding my way around the giant Palais was a bit of a nightmare, having so much in front of me with little sense of where to go or what to do. I had no choice but to simply soak it all in, and, if you’ll indulge the cliche, “fake it until you make it.”
My advice: Keep walking around the Palais until you feel like you’ve seen everything. As soon as you feel semi-comfortable inside, head to the riviera. Have a minor panic attack upon seeing the giant line of pavilions for each country along the shore. Take deep breaths. Try to enjoy the billion dollar view. Take all the free booze you can get (there’s a lot of it). It will be overwhelming, but I promise that eventually you will start to acclimate. In the meantime, pick up every business card, magazine, brochure, map, and informational booklet you can get your hands on. Read up and start planning out exactly what you want to accomplish during your stay. I guarantee you won’t get to everything, and that’s okay. You’re here. Just do your best and learn all you can for next time.
2. Understand what being a part of the SFC means and make specific, realistic goals.
I am relatively new to filmmaking, and I came into this with very little knowledge of what goes on at a big festival like Cannes. Part of the reason why I’m writing this blog is because there was so little information available on how to prepare when I was getting ready for my trip.
First off, the SFC is a film market, not a competition. Being invited to take part in the SFC is not the same thing as being “In Competition” or being an “Official Selection” at Cannes. This is a marketplace where up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world can convene to share their work, attend panels to learn about filmmaking, get critiques from industry professionals in order to hone their craft, and have meetings with production companies/distributors. And, as the term “marketplace” would imply, one of the main goals of the SFC is to facilitate the sale of films. However, it is not the only goal. Even in attending the festival, it is extremely difficult for first-time filmmakers and industry newbies with zero connections (like myself) to get meetings or make deals with these organizations.
So no, I didn’t sign some six figure studio deal for my short or sell my next big project. But I did learn a lot about how the film industry operates. I was able to get professional feedback about my short and advice on next steps I should be taking with the film. I learned what other competitions I should be applying to, and what opportunities to pursue post-festival run. I got great international exposure for my work. I became more comfortable talking to people about my story and my ideas. And I met some really great people that I can now turn to for help along the way!
3. Bring a great wing woman.
An invite to the SFC comes with two badges that get you access to the Palais and events around the festival. I was incredibly lucky to bring my friend and fellow filmmaker, Meredith McHale, as my plus one. As a homebody and generally anxious gal, having another person to take on this experience with me was so calming and helpful. Mer was an extra set of eyes and ears, a buddy to make the huge-ness of Cannes feel a little smaller, and a bubbly personality that more than doubled our collective networking power. She was also an excellent photographer and muse for Instagrammable content (essential stuff, I know). All other advice aside, I just recommend that everyone invest in a Meredith McHale because she is a goofy gorgeous genius girl and a wonderful travel companion.
4. You are the youngest/poorest/least important person here.
I found my first few days of the festival to be pretty isolating. Cannes was one of my very first festival experiences, and at a festival this large it felt difficult to find like-minded makers. So many of the people around me felt out of my reach, too rich or famous or important to be interested in talking with the young, American girl just trying to figure it all out. Was this the reality 100% of the time? Probably not. Can I be a tad overdramatic? You know it. But I learned to accept that I won’t always be the most important person in the room. And that’s okay! Everyone has to start somewhere.
5. But you’re not alone. Go find your peers!
I was so busy worrying about how I didn’t fit in… And then I met a bunch of other people that felt the same way! In my case, it was talking to other American/first-time/female filmmakers that made me I feel most connected to the people and the work around me. Besides just being fun to talk with, these peers are also going to be valuable connections to draw on as we all work our way through this industry together. Some tips on how to find your people: Go to the SFC Happy Hours, hang out in the American Pavilion (or your home country pavilion), wear your badge around the city and bond with fellow SFC gelato lovers or 20-somethings seeking cheap(er) eats. Making friends is important. Go reach out and have fun!
6. Plan out your days and attend all the panels/screenings you can.
I am nothing if not a die-hard planner. After I had collected a behemoth of information on our first day, I sat down and began to weed out what events I needed to add to my schedule. This part is personal to each attendee, but as a first-time filmmaker I wanted to focus on panels/events on craft and advice on how to be successful in this industry.
I ended up attending almost all of the SFC panels, most of which were great. There were powerful panels from female directors, a round table with the directors of shorts in competition, and a very informative distribution Q&A. A few of the other events, not so much. There was one panel in which an unnamed director refused to let other panelists (or the moderator) speak and spent an hour talking about his achievements. I left early. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We also had the BONKERS opportunity to see two black tie premieres at the Grand Theatre Lumiere. In the case of our second black tie, we had tickets offered to us last minute (thank you Mer for making friends!). We had to take the train back to our Airbnb in Antibes, get red-carpet ready, and be back in Cannes in under 2 hours. We were already exhausted from a long day of festival-ing, but we said yes, because IT’S CANNES!! You owe it to yourself to take every opportunity and fill your days.
7. Dress for success. But don’t forget your comfortable shoes.
If you know one thing about Cannes, it’s that the black tie dress codes are a little insane. Like, no heels, no gown, NO TICKET. Off the red carpet, however, the dress code was a lot more vague. As I was packing, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from daily wear in the Palais and in the SFC. Now, I can say that daytime style inside the festival varied a lot -- from jeans and sneakers to cocktail dresses. Personally, I can say I felt most comfortable, confident, and professional when wearing a more business-casual-chic style. I stuck to light layers (to keep up with ever-changing weather forecasts), subtle but youthful prints, and lots of black and white (with pops of red, mauve, or lavendar). I’d tell any future attendees to strive for looks that are preppy and classic, but still moveable. I also found it really helpful to carry a small backpack with resumes, business cards, a notebook, water, sunglasses, and all of the other non-essential essentials. AND FOR GOD’S SAKE PLEASE WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES. Leave the heels for the red carpet, your feet will thank you.
8. Hungry? Head inland or prepare to pay up.
On the plane ride from DTW to JFK, a middle-aged New Jersey man across the aisle heard that Meredith and I were headed to Cannes. He then promptly leaned over his arm rest and gave us a piece of sage advice: Eating by the shore is pretty, but the food is double the price. Walk three blocks inland. Your meal with be less expensive, and better quality.
And boy was he right. We did end up trying some of the fancier fare along the shore, but not without a hefty price tag. On the whole, the meals we ate further away from the ocean cost a lot less. We also made use of the little markets on every corner, buying local cheese, fruit, and sausage (wow this turning into the bougiest hack ever) to snack on for breakfast and late night dinners.
9. Don’t stay in Cannes.
It is. SO. EXPENSIVE. And crowded. Mer and I stayed at an Airbnb in the beautiful nearby town of Antibes for the week, and it was a great way to get out of the festival hubbub and enjoy France while saving some serious cash. There were extra travel expenses for train tickets and Ubers to/from the festival, but it was still less expensive than staying at a hotel in the city. Some advice on transportation in the Cannes/Antibes/Nice area: Trains come a little under once an hour, and they don’t run after midnight. If you are in a rush or going somewhere between 12-5AM, you may need to take an Uber. Mer and I tried taking taxis as well, but we found that the service was better and prices were lower with Uber.
10. Do your homework and be ready for the networking breakfast.
The SFC networking breakfast was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. This was two hours of undivided access to distributors, festival programmers, and network representatives that I would never have had access to otherwise. I signed up for a breakfast session near the end of my stay, so I had almost an entire week of networking to prepare and perfect my pitch. Some advice on pitching: Go in with a very concise few sentences that introduces you and your project in an attention grabbing way. Be able to efficiently vocalize what you want from them and how your proposition will be beneficial to their company. It doesn’t happen overnight -- keep workshopping to nail down exactly what you want to say, and PRACTICE!
I also made sure to look up and make notes on each of the industry professionals/companies that would be at my breakfast. This way, I went in knowing what each company did, along with who their past clients were and what their philosophies are. This way I could use my time more effectively, because I knew who I really wanted to talk to and could have more in-depth conversations with them about why my project would be a good fit.
11. Follow up and send thank you notes!
In the days after my trip home, I collected all my cards and contacts from Cannes and emailed or messaged each person to say how nice it was to meet them. I sent other creators links to my work and told them to reach out if they ever needed help with any of their projects. I also emailed thank you notes to each of the industry professionals from the SFC who critiqued my work or gave me advice. I was genuinely surprised when one pro emailed me back to say that I was the first person to send him a follow up saying thank you! To me, it was so important to follow up not only to recognize the generosity of these people who gave their time to speak with me, but also to nurture these connections I’d made and establish a relationship for the future.
12. Keep working.
Meredith and I left Cannes exhausted, broke, and absolutely full of cheese. But more than anything else, we were both struck by how creatively affirming this experience was. The world is so big, it’s easy to feel like your work doesn’t matter. Cannes proves that nothing we do happens in a vacuum. This festival exists for creators to explore, to share. It is designed to eternally celebrate the next big thing.
Throughout my time at Cannes, nearly everyone I spoke to asked me…
“So, what’s next?”
I didn’t have a great answer for them at the moment. But I’m working on it. Meeting all of these people and learning about their projects lit a gigantic fire under my ass. The metaphor is less than savory, but the sentiment is true. It was observing this insane community of creators that made my Cannes so special, and I’m forever grateful that I got to be a part of it. Seeing their work inspired and motivated me more than I thought possible, and I’m beyond excited to see what story I’ll tell next.
Disclaimer: I understand that it is a tremendous privilege to be able to attend this festival and to travel abroad, and I don’t take it lightly. This is an important opportunity, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without financial support from my family. I’m writing this post based on my experience of the festival so that others can be better informed when making decisions around their own attendance.