Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival was announced on the back page of the Life section of The Straits Times (Friday 14 May 2010) in an overwhelmingly visual display. This celebration of the visionary (literally) and creative directors of celluloid seems to be reduced, like so many prizes, to a display of beautiful dresses. This article is one quarter text, and three quarters photos.
The very first paragraph informs us that the films up for scrutiny are "leaner and less star-studded than usual", but that the opening ceremony was glamorous. What does "Agence France-Presse" mean by this quote?
We then get a list of beautiful actresses who were seen on the red carpet, the title of the premiere (Robin Hood), a paragraph describing two glamorous gowns and one dress designer, and then some elaboration on that "leaner and less star-studded" bit in the beginning: fewer movies and fewer Hollywood stars. Finally, there is at least some mention of the festival jury, and a political comment on the absence of Iranian director, Jafar Panahi, in jail for subversive movie-making. I suppose the assumption is that we know all about the Cannes Film Festival and don't need much elaboration. But, there is a laughable contradiction in the claim of a festival pared down to something more minimalist, and all this frivolous detail on stars, dresses and designers.
A quick glance at the website http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/about.html reveals a cornucopia of information. You can really lose yourself in video footage, synopses, links to other relevant sites, all in a carnivalesque celebration of the potential of cinema. There is an hourly update of events that gives the site an edginess that is balanced with a comfortable sense of history (that stark black background announces solidity and character). Cinema is alive and vibrant, but the list of advertisements prominently displayed along the top right of the site is a not-so-subtle hint at the money that is needed to keep this industry going. The fairytale dresses and the nonchalant pseudo-hoodlum look of the men reinforce the sense of a virtual world. It takes lots of money to sustain our dreams and fantasies. For those outside of Cannes who cannot access the cinemas, we will have to make do with the fantasy lives of those who inhabit the films: actors, actresses and directors with their aura of a life of privilege. The dominant visuals in the Life article are a sad substitute for the magical world of film that Cannes celebrates. But, it is the closest most of us will get to seeing most of the films advertised, or the exquisite setting for this prestigious Award.