Bonjour filmmakers! Welcome to Going Bionic, #211. The Cannes Film Festival and Cannes Film Market kick-off tomorrow, so today I’m taking care of a few last-minute preparations before I embark upon my favorite cinematic event of the year. Although I’m jet-lagged, bloodshot and ridiculously tired, I’m also excited and determined to bring you a double-shot of Cannes coverage like never before. Unlike my previous years, when I primarily focused on sharing emerging sales trends at the film market, this year I’m giving you a double-shot of coverage by reporting on both the film festival an the film market.
Thus, you can expect to hear about which films in competition are capturing the most buzz with jury members, what Q&A panels are delivering the most influential insight into where the world of cinema is trending these days, and of course, what genres are getting buyers to sign contracts and cut checks. Simply put, I want to give you a complete picture of how these two cinematically significant events work in unison to create a culture that filmmakers worldwide crave to experience.
So, without further ado, here’s a quick roadmap of some of the events I’m focusing on this week at Cannes.
Buyers Meetings
With four new film titles represented by my company Lonely Seal Releasing, this year is especially busy with meeting buyers. The new titles are as follows; Little Fishes, a provocative story of love based on a poem by D.H. Lawrence, The Coexist Comedy Tour, stand-up concert film that dares to discover what happens when you get six comics from different religions and force them to go on tour together, Code Enforcer, a comedy about a Home Owners Association “code enforcer” who attempts to live up to his family’s long history of law enforcement heroes, and Sushi in Suhl, a wonderfully quirky German film about a German man who became world renowned as a chef of Japanese cuisine in Berlin, prior to the Berlin wall falling.
Since all of these four titles vastly vary in genre, I’ll be able to give you a general sense of what genres film buyers gravitate toward.
Side Note: Little Fishes is having its world premiere screening on Friday, May 16th at 2 PM at the Grey 3 screening room.
Code Enforcer is a project in development, so I’m here to explore which actor(s) my client needs to wrangle, in order to trigger pre-sales for the film.
Sushi in Suhl is a project I’m working with the producers to remake in English. Our target date is to shoot it in 2015.
Licensing Video Games based on Major Films
While $100 million + dollar console video games are starting to see their stock slip a bit, the mobile video game market is thriving. Thus, I’m exploring the possibility of licensing video games that are based on globally recognized film franchises.
Panels at the American Pavilion
The American Pavilion has the best panels at Cannes. They’re informative and cutting-edge, but most importantly, their star-studded with the producers, writers, directors and actors whom most of the free world would kill to get insight from. Thus, I’ll be sure to report on an AMPAV panel or two.
The Hot Films
I’ll report on which films, expected or unexpected, capture critical acclaim and international media buzz.
The Not Films
You can’t have “ying” without “yang,” so I’ll also keep you abreast of any films that stumbled out of the gate and got panned mightily by the critics of the world.
Interviews
I’ll be super-busy this week, but I may just snag a few interviews that will give you more insight into the happenings in the South of France.
Cannes – Special Reports
Since there’s no way I can report on everything above in next Tuesday’s edition, expect to see several quick “special reports” during the week. I’ll shoot them out as they happen, in order to give you up-to-the-minute coverage.
The Going Bionic 4th Birthday Party
This column was born during the 2010 Cannes Film Festival (May 18, 2010 was our first edition), so check out our special 4th Birthday Party edition this Sunday, May 18th.
As I’m wrapping up this article, I’m suddenly realizing how little sleep I’m about to get over the next 10 days. Damn, I shouldn’t have pulled an all-nighter the night before I left L.A. Oh well, live and learn, right?
Okay, friends; that’s what I have for you today. Thank you again for lending me your eyes, and I look forward to borrowing them again next Tuesday! I can be followed on Twitter @Lonelyseal.
