Cannes 2016 Bare foot to the Ball?

The Cannes 2016 Marche du Film, the commercial film market of the Film Festival got off to a very slow start. Buyers and sellers complained in the first 3 days about the lack of numbers. Despite the festival claims that it had registered around 1000 people more than last year it was possible to walk down La Croisette the main street, with out too much trouble because there were not the people to block the way. Things picked up by the weekend as sellers and buyers released that they better make deals no matter what and to whoever because things were so slow, there was no question of leaving without a done deal. The coming weeks will see how these deals hold out, as the dust settles.

Film Producer, Director Mairi Sutherland enjoying the sunshine in Cannes 2016

The market was down from last year indicated by what seemed the final clear our out of sellers in the Carlton Hotel, which was only left with 3 main distributers in it suites 20th Century Fox, Sony and Focus Pictures. The rest had cleared out for the cheaper booths in the Palais bunker but despite claims most of the sellers were in the same place with very few new distributers or sellers in the market. The knock on effect of the internet streaming and downloads of films was still making an impact on sales, in that the recoup was low for the market share. Amazon joined the hype by launching a new cinema release studio.

However something didn't seem quite right. Buyers agreed, while they trawled through Independent catalogues, and eyed the films in Competition directed by the same old male film Directors in the festival.

For us, (Palm Tree helmed by Robbie Moffat), with 2 high concept historical costume dramas on offer we were able to garner 2 sensible finance deals for them. At least this is how it looks today, as the final film closes the festival tonight, with Mel Gibson starring in Blood Father.

Women featured highly with the hard won 3 films directed by Women in the Competition, although that number fell far shoot of the more reasonable 50 percent that it should be. Everyone cheered Julia Roberts protest when she went onto the Red carpet bare foot to highlight a ridiculous rule that had some how been arbitrarily applied by security guards last year, that women could not enter the red carpet despite having tickets unless they wore high heels. I like to think that my blog 3 years ago about the  state of the films on offer and the treatment of women in the festival has contributed to industry aware ness of the problems. In my blog back then I told the story of a girl I met who had been working on a boat as a waitress where she was under constant pressure to give in to sexual advances  by her employers and guests. She told them to stuff their job and moved on out of Cannes in disgust.  Much more needs to be done before Women will be emancipated in Cannes, where women still have a long way to go, not least via the A List Actresses who seemed to be the only women to have access to the Red Carpet.

Mairi Sutherland with Yvonne Deutchman, both film producers are
working on a project together about a female film pioneer from 1930's

The lack of access to the Red Carpet by Market buyers and sellers was a big issue since they had paid, like myself, for Marche du Film market badges that cost £250 to £300 per company participant, which claim to allow  tickets to the Competition films. Not so this year because each day I would run to the ticketing booths to see if I had been allocated anything and no tickets were on offer. I wondered if this was because they might have been reallocated these tickets to other organisations like this one at the link here

They sell Red Carpet tickets and after party packages for £10000 from such ticket sellers. Gone are the days of a level playing field for film makers and audiences alike. Cannes has retreated into an old order of elitism where only those with wealth have access to the Red carpet and the recognition that goes with it. Meanwhile the Independent film makers wait for the few scraps of money that the Big Studio throw down on La Croissette when they smell a project that will do better to attract audiences than their own.

In such an atmosphere Women will not flourish and the campaign started by Hollywood A List actors, like Susan Sarandon and Gina Davis this Cannes called Women in Motion must really step up the pressure on the Movie Moguls to be fair in their decision making processes, casting , paying, treatment and presentation of women in films during the making and selling of them at all stages including the Cannes Film festival.

I assume I didn't get allocated tickets for speaking out about it all or worse because they were allocated to ticket sellers behind the scenes. Never mind we can now all survive the Red Carpet without high heeled shoes, abandoned in favour of bare feet.  If we, women are bare foot to the ball, then Hollywood must find the money to get Female Film Director representation up to 50% as has been suggested by the UK organisation Women in Film and Television this week, who have lobbied the BBC to make access for Female Directors up to a 50% quota. Hollywood must follow this move.

Having directed two Independent feature films made at Palm Tree Films, Photoshoot and Going Green, I would hope that this move toward equality actually works in practise. For now Robbie Moffat should be given thanks for supporting me to achieve it at a time when it was rarely possible for women. So listen up I am available and a capable female film Director. In the meantime here are the high heel shoes I would have worn if I had got a ticket. Now thankfully abandoned, at least for now.