Voices: Cannes festival's big winner is life (and art) defeating terrorism
CANNES, France — The Cannes International Film Festival presented its gala awards Sunday, with British director Ken Loach taking the top honors, the Palme d'Or, for his film I, Daniel Blake.
But the Sunday celebration was more than a victory for Loach, the other award recipients or even the ambitious cinema that the revered festival has commemorated for the last 69 years.
It was a victory for life itself over terrorism.
Last Thursday, terrorism was suspected once again in horrific fashion when EgyptAir Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo mysteriously crashed with 66 people on board. An Egyptian official said the cause is more likely to be a terror attack than a technical problem, even as no group has claimed responsibility.
But the seeds of terror in Cannes were already sown with November's coordinated attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and the March suicide bombings in Belgium that took 32 victims' lives.
The logic for concern about the Cannes Film Festival was clear. Terrorists sought out innocent concert-goers to gun down in Paris, plus air travelers and subway riders in Brussels to send their vile message of hate.
The sprawling Cannes festival, a source of national pride for the French and a beacon of Western artistic ideals to the rest of the world, would be the ultimate European target — with the world’s biggest stars taking nightly strolls down the famed Palais des Festivals red carpet.
This fear was vividly enhanced in April with stark images of French security forces simulating a terror attack on the Palais steps where George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Blake Lively and Ryan Gosling would walk just a month later at gala premieres to the sound of vibrant music.
In the drill, there was only the sound of dull mock weapons fire as security and fake terrorists exchanged rounds, with participants eerily pretending to be victims who were shot and strewn on the steps.
Just the day before the festival, a jarring alarm sounded twice in the Palais with a request to evacuate in what organizers called a drill. I had never seen a drill like this in all my years of covering Cannes.
There was the usual excitement about the festival's May 11 opening night with Woody Allen’s Café Society. But trepidation was not far beneath the surface. Security was far more noticeable than in past years, with armed soldiers walking the streets right along with festival attendees and sun-drenched tourists.
To walk the most glamorous red carpet in the world, each attendee passed through a body wand exam and went through a thorough purse/bag check at the bottom of the Palais steps. The procedure was repeated at the top of the stairs before entering the theater.
But the show went on. Directors from around the world displayed their best stuff. Festivalgoers applauded, cheered and booed, as they traditionally do at this passionate festival. Glamorous stars walked to the top of the red carpet each night and were greeted grandly by festival director Thierry Fremaux.
If they were nervous, it was behind gleaming, movie-star smiles.
“Yes, there are threats in life all the time. But we’re not going to be afraid,” Clooney told me before the Cannes premiere of his film Money Monster. “I understand that people are concerned and that the South of France is in particular an issue. France has been through it. And good for them for doing as much security as they have.“
“But we’re going to get through all of this together,” Clooney added. “And we’re going to do it by showing we’re not afraid. And that’s going to happen on the red carpet and with people walking down the streets of Paris and in Brussels.”
“Because the truth is, any other version of this means, they win.”
They did not win. The Cannes Film Festival scored a lopsided victory.
Alexander is a Los Angeles movie correspondent for Paste BN who also covers the Cannes Film Festival.