Of tributes and glamour
The fifth day at Cannes started with an interview with Asif Kapadia, the Indian origin British director of one of the festival’s most lauded films — Amy, about talented singer Amy Winehouse, who died under tragic circumstances. The documentary has been soundly applauded by the critics. Peter Bradshaw, chief film critic at The Guardian, recently tweeted: That’s it. I’m calling it: I hereby declare Asif Kapadia to be this year’s King of Cannes.
When I told Asif that Amy was the best film I had seen at the festival so far, he said: That’s great. Go home now. Asif said that his biggest struggle in making the film was getting Amy’s friends to open up and trust him. Her childhood friend and manager had never spoken to anyone before this. The film also includes footage of her childhood that has never been seen before. PVR Pictures has bought Amy for India. I hope the film finds an audience.
Cannes is perhaps the world’s only film festival that, along with cinema and glamour, celebrates luxury brands. The main street — the Croisette — is lined with designer stores. You can find everything from Hermès to Prada. Snazzy cars go up and down the street — I’ve seen some stunning Ferraris and Porsches. And the general standard of wardrobe is quite staggering — everyone is dressed up, whether they are on the red carpet or not.
Over the years, I’ve discovered that the key to Cannes is comfortable shoes. My pedometer clocks in around 13,000 to 15,000 steps every day — at this point, my feet hurt so badly that I’m ready to pay a small fortune for a foot massage!
So of course, I wisely invested in flat rubber chappals — or bathroom slippers, as we say in India. I run around in those and change just before stepping into meetings and parties. Of which, there are at least half a dozen in one night. Today, we did rounds of a party thrown by the London Film Festival, the Taiwan Film Commission and KOFIC (The Korean Film Council). It’s exhausting work, but someone’s got to
do it!