For the Festival de Cannes 2019, BLINKCO Magazine is pleased to introduce Lara Gaillard, special correspondent in France for the coverage of the events surrounding the film festival.
Today is my last day at the Festival de Cannes, and as a special accredited correspondent, I have learned so much but also got to experience many things out of the ordinary. Needless to say, I am grateful for the opportunity to write for BLINKCO but also the chance to have made so many connections as well as to expand my horizons in the world of cinema.
Presented as a horror movie for the La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs section, the first screening I attended was Wounds by Babak Anvari, starring Armie Hammer and Dakota Johnson. Not the brightest moment of the festival, it was unfortunate to see the theater gradually emptying itself out as spectators found the presentation rather flat. However, the day was accentuated by a brief meeting with Montreal’s own Xavier Dolan right before the screening of Matthias & Maxime, a story of two lifelong friends whose sexuality is put into question as a short film script they both have a role in called for a kiss between the two men. On top of directing the movie, Dolan also plays the role of Maxime opposite Gabriel D’Almeida Freitas as Matthias. The end result is a touching and beautiful film, filled with memorable scenes and supported by an exceptional soundtrack, bringing back the Xavier Dolan of his earlier work such as Mommy in 2014.
I ended the day with Ice On Fire, an HBO documentary featured as a special screening for the Festival de Cannes. With visually striking cinematography and a poignant narrative delivered by Leonardo DiCaprio, it seeks to convince humanity to save itself from the effects of climate change through the use of technologies designed to slow down the impending environmental crisis. Directed by Leila Conners and produced by DiCaprio, they conveyed a message of hope for the future as various innovative conservation efforts are currently being deployed all around the world.
This concludes my daily account of the Festival de Cannes. I’ve seen and done so much, and although my heart is set to root for one particular film to win the Palme d’Or, the true winner now remains in the hands of the jury, led this year by Mexican film director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Lara Gaillard (Cannes, France)
BLINKCO Taste Curators are not just a collection of skilled writers. They are valuable content creators who live and breathe our brand’s lifestyle and wish to share their experiences with the world. We are constantly looking for more talented contributors, please email info@blinkco.ca to discuss further collaborative considerations.
