By Lubna Abdel-Aziz They are only 10 days in May. Yet to the film world they represent Christmas, New Years, Easter and Valentine, all wrapped in one, the highlights of a whole year of production, anticipation and recreation. All the big names in the business head for this heavenly spot, to see and to be seen. Nothing else compares to the experience of Cannes for 10 days in May. While Oscar remains the most prestigious award in the film world, Cannes remains the most prestigious festival of the year. Its' Palme d'Or comes a close second to the Oscar. It offers considerably more international variety, of tastes, styles, cultures and customs. It is a festival of film in all its' splendor with a dash of international glamour, a sprinkle of sand and sea, and a good helping of directeur/auteur intellectual fair. Some have been critical of the trend Cannes has taken during the last decade. Headed by Gilles Jacob, it has veered leftwards with a distinct anti-Western penchant. The same favourite filmmakers appear and reappear year after year. It matters little to the rest who consider Cannes their annual pilgrimage, their holy grail. Not only does the Palme d'Or carry its weight, it's the whole package of mix and mingle, the sublime and the ridiculous, that makes it incomparable. Films galore from every corner of the globe are at your fingertips. Beauty abounds of every race, colour and creed; money is exchanged in their famous Le Marche, the rich market of film distribution of long, short, old, new, East or West. All this and much more takes place in that heavenly spot, the film world's Camelot. Film fever grips that sleepy resort on the French Riviera as thousands of media personnel descend on it. Over 80 countries are represented here with journalists, TV crews, radio stations, not to mention directors, producer, stars and hundreds of assistants. If you have made it to Cannes then you have made it. Producers, with their boxes of film, television crews with their cameras and lighting, and stars with their endless luggage, jewels and cosmetics, parade up and down the famous boardwalk, known as La Croisette. They march to the delight of the French fans. La Croisette has many tales to tell, of deals made and unmade, of loves found and lost, of stars that ascend and descend. The international jury is always headed by a master filmmaker. This year it is director Tim Burton's turn, fresh from the success of his latest version of Alice in Wonderland. Other members of the international jury include British beauty Kate Beckinsale and gifted, brilliant Oscar-winning actor Benicio del Toro. A total of 16 directors will compete for this year's honour, among them Mexican director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu with his interpretation of Biutiful, starring Xavier Barden. He is already known to Cannes viewers for his sprawling drama Amore Sperros, and his Brad Pitt film Babel. British films are making a strong comeback, as witnessed by their impressive showing last years and again this year. Stephen Frears, follows up his Oscar win with The Queen with Tamara Drew, based on Posy Simmond's comic strip and graphic novel of the same name. Director Mike Lee, who won the Palme d'Or for Secrets and Lies in 1996, is back with his new offering Another Year. Woody Allen, a favourite of the French and of the festival brings his impressive cast Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts and others, with his film You will Meet a Tall Stranger. His preference is to remain Out of Competition. Another Out of Competition mega production premiers at the Festival's opening night; director Ridley Scott teams up once again with his favourite actor Russell Crowe in the famous English legend Robin Hood. The film will be released worldwide following the May 12th opening. The Asian film industry has become increasingly more apparent at Cannes. More of their films are regularly in competition, and more of their stars add their exotic flavour to the European scenery. Artists, as well as industrious Asian film makers have worked hard and long to appeal for their international viewers. Their strong presence at Cannes, is proof of their success. French viewers have developed a taste for Asian film fare, judging by this year's five entries vying for the top award. South Korea is leading the way with 2 films, In Sang Soo's, The Housemate ; Lee Chang Dong's Poetry. Japanese director Takeshi Kitanos' Outrage and Thailand's Api Chat Pong, Wurasthakaul Uncle Boonnee, who can recall his past lives, and China enters with Wang Xiao Shuai's Chong Quing Blues. Abbas Kirostami, Iranian director first recognized by Cannes, is back with Certified Copy, starring France's own Juliet Binoche. While Cannes laps up the glamour and star power provided by Hollywood, it prefers to favour European cinephiles. Most American films therefore choose to play Out of Competition. Only a few exceptions that are distinctly anti-American, dark and obscure, find favour at Cannes. It was over 150 years ago in 1834, the Lord Trouhan, accustomed to winter at Nice was prevented from going there because of a cholera outbreak. He was forced to spend his winter at Cannes, a sleepy fishing village of little consequence. Since then, it has grown into the playground for the rich and famous. Regal hotels, pricey boutiques, chic restaurants, spread out by the dozens, making it the ideal place for every kind of convention. It opens its annual summer season of glamour and glitz by welcoming the glitterati of the film world. It is famous for its excesses. The Croisette craze started in 1954, when an unknown starlet Simone Silva dropped her bikini top and tried to embrace Robert Mitchum in front of the world's photographers. Whatever serious fare is offered on screen and off screen, Cannes will always remain impressive, excessive and permissive. Human kind cannot bear very much reality -- T.S. Eliot (1888 -- 1965)
