By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Ah to be at Cannes -- in May! As palm trees sway to the soft Mediterranean breezes, the small sleepy town wakes from a long winter nap. As if with a magic wand, it swiftly opens doors, theatres, casinos, bistros, boutiques and beaches inviting the world's most beautiful people to its sensuous, sandy shores. You can almost feel its vibrating pulse beneath your finger as it welcomes its first visitors, the elite members of the film world. They have had a regular rendez- vous at Cannes for the last 59 years, descending upon the town like locusts, shaking its very foundation. This is the holy of the holiest, where the faithful come for their annual pilgrimage to worship at the alter of film. The wheelers, the dealers, the schemers, and the dreamers, in great or greater measure, partake of everything the city has to offer, except sleep. The 59th Cannes Film Festival opened (17-28 May) with a film more eagerly awaited than any other in recent memory. The controversy over that most widely read novel of the century, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, has raised, to the boiling point, the public's expectations of the film. Throngs of fans pushed and shoved, hoping for a chance to decipher the ' Code '. The Oscar winning team of director Ron Howard, and producer Brian Grazer ( A Beautiful Mind, 2002), wisely chose to premiere their uber production here, as an "Out of Competition" entry, exploiting all the spectacle, glamour and enchantment of Cannes. Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, star of The Code, leads the 50 international stars climbing those famous red steps. Though not the oldest, Cannes has become the most important, famous and successful film festival on the planet. It was not always the case. During its infant stages (1954), as hordes of filmmakers crammed "La Croisette" for a breath of post-war Mediterranean air, an unknown starlet by the name of Simone Silva, dropped her bikini top as she tried to embrace a very surprised Robert Mitchum, while hundreds of photographers flashed their cameras, lighting up the whole of the Riviera. A little "scandale" went a long way in 1954. Such international press coverage garnered Cannes the reputation of a flimsy, frivolous rendez-vous spot for unclad starlets. Resenting such a reputation, Cannes has fought back to clean up its image and don their festival in more serious attire. Fans of scantily-clad starlets need not worry, they are still found in untold numbers to satisfy the voyeur in all of us. Setting for themselves the highest standards, Cannes officials scanned the world for half a century discovering hidden talents in remote places. They practically invented the auteur genre, and they maintained the highest standards in film selection, and the finest principles in filmmaking, both creatively and technically. Today Cannes is the world's premier festival, and continues to seek out singular voices in different cultures, qualities in direction, and above all that rare practice of cinema, as a fine art. Politics and film often go hand in hand. Among the choice selections this year is Italy's The Caiman, directed by veteran filmmaker Nanni Moretti, (Palme d'Or, 2001), about Italy's outgoing prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, Aki Kaurismaki (Grand Prix 2002) presents Light in the Suburb, Spain's Pedro Almodovar (Best Director, 1999) is back with Volver, and Britain's Ken Loach (Best Script 2002) directs The Wind that Shakes the Barley. Amid those revered old- timers, new names are always invited to Cannes, introducing "a burst of fresh air of contemporary creation". The rising generation includes Oscar winner Sofia Coppola for Marie Antoinette, Rachid Bouchareb, Indigenes, Paolo Sorrentino, L'Amici di Famiglia, Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Babel, Richard Linklater, Fast Food Nation and French director Xavier Giannoli, Quand J'etais Chanteur. The mix is always eclectic, challenging, and competitive. This blend of old and new, of multi-million dollar productions and low budget little known independent features, displays Cannes' diversity. France calls this the Festival International du Film, "as if there were only one," and for many film people, this dizzying, dazzling, surreal ambiance, is indeed unique. The furore over The Da Vinci Code is only one of the myriad temptations of 2006. Twenty feature films from 13 countries, with eight debut presentations were selected for the official competition, 22, for "Un Certain Regard", and 22 for "Out of Competition" categories, as well as "Shorts and Documentaries". Two documentary entries are of particular interest, France's portrait of footballer Zidane, and Egypt's Tahany Rashed Those Girls. All in all, the festival offers 55 carefully selected official entries, representing 30 countries, including 48 world premieres, proof of their resolution to present unreleased works. Among the integral components of the days at Cannes is the marketplace, known as "Le Marchè du Film". With 1400 screenings and 400 exhibitors, a large share of the world's film production is viewed at Le Marchè, offering buyers from over 80 countries an exceptional diversity for their theatres. This section alone is attended by 10,000 professionals, making Cannes home to the international motion picture trade. The jury for the official competition contains as much contrasts and contradictions, as does everything else in Cannes. Matching the sublime with the ridiculous, China's venerable director Wong Kar Wai, jury president, sits side by side with Italy's voluptuous, femme fatale, jury member, Monica Bellucci. The festival ends 27 May followed by the award ceremony the next day, launching glorious careers, while breaking many hearts. But no one leaves Cannes empty handed. The memory of 10 days at Cannes lingers forever. It is a "moveable feast" you take with you for the rest of your life. "Cannes is a very strange mixture of the art of film and total prostitution of film," observed Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins ( Shawshank Redemption ). Only the French possess such brass, such "audace", and that, is the logic-defying triumph of Cannes. Bouillabaisse is only good because (it is) cooked by the French... Norman Douglas (1868-1952)
