CANNES 2010

A Look Back at Cannes 2010 in Photos - My Home for 12 Days

by Alex Billington
May 23, 2010

Yes, that is actually Batman, and it's just one of the many memorable images from this year's Cannes Film Festival. As the festival winds down and comes to an end, and as I prepare for my long journey home after arriving in Cannes 12 days ago, I thought I'd put together a quick look back at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival in photos. You've been able to read my reviews of the films, but the experience of attending a festival in this small town in the south of France is something that's very hard to describe in text, so I thought I'd give you a taste of the imagery and the sights (and sounds) of Cannes. So without any further ado, let's get right into it!

This first photo below is a panoramic (created on my iPhone) of the biggest theater in Cannes, the Grand Lumiere, where most major premieres are held and where I saw about half of the films that I watched here.

This building is known as The Palais, where almost everything is located, including most movie theaters.

Our tradition most mornings was to wake up around 7AM, take a quick shower, write some news, and head to the Grand Lumiere where we'd walk up this red carpet (where the celebrities would be later that night).

Below is the sign that Cannes created for this year's festival with every filmmaker's name on it. It's displayed above the Salle Debussy, the fest's second largest theater where all the Un Certain Regard films are shown.

A look down at the huge crowds that line-up in hopes of getting into the Debussy theater for a big screening.

A few extra photos of the signs and atmosphere around Cannes, including the Grand Lumiere's red carpet.

Another typical bit of Cannes imagery. All day, every day, for the entire fest, fans stand outside of the Palais exits with signs asking for invitations (tickets), as that's the only way they can get into any screenings. That Woody Allen sign, complete with a little caricature, was one of the most creative signs I saw the entire fest.

The nightlife in Cannes was also quite spectacular, and this is a look at one of the signs above the main road.

One afternoon we were invited to a press conference held on a yacht. There's a harbor right in Cannes and it's always full of expensive yachts for the entire fest. Stepping onto one was a very interesting experience.

Why is Batman at Cannes? The head of the jury this year was Tim Burton, so found throughout the Palais were his sketches, and the image they used for the Un Certain Regard banner was this photo from Batman.

Near the end of the fest, we found a guy who was selling old French posters for just about any film you could ever think of. I ended up buying one for Indiana Jones, but this is a brief look at his collection/organization.

So with that, the 63rd Cannes Film Festival comes to an end, and although I've got one final wrap up (that's focused on the films I saw here) in the works, this will be one of our last posts about Cannes. Its been a very interesting year and although it didn't live up to my experience last year, I'm looking forward to returning next year. As I said in my article when I first arrived this year, there's nothing like flying halfway across the world to attend a film festival as unique, exciting and unforgettable as this one. These photos are just a brief look at what it's like here in Cannes, but I can assure you it's a wonderful place to experience great cinema.

Filed under Cannes 10, Editorial, Photos

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