If you walk out onto the croisette at any given point during the festival, you may see even a hundred people with a piece of paper in their hands. All of them say the same thing in a different way - I need an invitation. For those not familiar, in order to enter the Grand Theatre Lumiere, you need an invitation and these are always seemingly hard to come by. In this spectacular 2,500+ seated audtorium, the main films are played, specfically those that are in the running for the Palme D'Or.
The real question though is whether it works or not. Can simply standing outside with a little piece of white paper get you into one of the most presitigous places? The answer is yes, but only with some luck. I ventured out to see whether or not people have had success and if they had any secret tricks to getting one.
A young woman I approached responded with how "it is all dumb luck, you could stand out here for two hours and not get one or you could wait five minutes and somehow have one drop in your lap!"
Another man I encountered has been crafting this art for over twenty years. "You know, I would say almost 70% I am successful in getting a ticket but you never know." I had to know if he had a secret or not - whether it was something he wears, says, or does. "Sometimes you just gotta cry!"
We will just have to see how lucky I am later this week.
By: James Cullen
14.05.2015 | Cannes Market Dailies's blog