2013-05-26T04:07:45-04:00 Jane Witherspoon http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=jane-witherspoon Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Jane Witherspoon Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1545934 2012-05-25T12:13:19-04:00 2012-07-25T05:12:18-04:00

Jane Witherspoon http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-witherspoon/
Locals and tourists line the streets on the route to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc waving at the cars in the hope of catching a glimpse of the stars. I'm not sure who they thought I was but I was polite and waved back!

I found myself on one of the biggest red carpets I've seen... it was massive. As I tried to run down it without drawing attention to myself I was in for a major fail. Somehow I was suddenly caught in the middle of Kim Kardashian and Janet Jackson. That was a celebrity sandwich and a half. Kim looked amazing with flawless skin. Janet - well she looked like she needed persuading to pose for her pics. Luckily her posse was on hand to reassure her she looked great. I thought she looked skinny!

Once inside we were ushered to our tables as Karl Lagerfeld, Antonio Banderas, Kylie Minogue, Berenice Bejo, Harvey Weinstein, Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger took their seats around me. If you like people watching you'd have been in your element.

An auction took place over dinner. The whoops came during Lot 3 when a collection of 1911 Vintage Moet & Chandon champagne sold for 150,000 euros! That's one expensive hangover. Other highlights included Harvey Weinstein and Karl Lagerfeld teaming up to offer someone the chance to star in a short film produced and directed by them. One hopeless and rich romantic splashed out 350,000 euros for the gift for his girlfriend. Wonder if he has a single mate?

Entertainment came in the form of Jessie J, Aloe Black and Fun performing their hit We Are Young.

And that was just the first course of fun. I followed Gerard Butler over to the after-party but it took me an hour to get near him for the hordes of women who were literally throwing themselves at him. I've never been in a room with so many beautiful people. He was gorgeous and down to earth and made time for everyone. He definitely hasn't forgotten his Scottish roots or let Hollywood go to his head.

By 3am my feet were killing and it was time to call it a day as Macy Gray and The Paperboy crew continued to live it up on the dancefloor. Obviously, I tried to say goodbye. As I stumbled out of the do I bumped into Heidi Klum and found out we were sisters with blisters as we whipped off our heels and made the journey home barefoot!]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1535500 2012-05-22T19:00:00-04:00 2012-07-22T05:12:24-04:00

Jane Witherspoon http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-witherspoon/
His new film Killing Them Softly has just had its first big screening and I was there. The Variety Live producers didn't have to ask me twice to cover this one. Set against the 2008 Presidential election and with themes of empty political promises and economic hardship this crime-thriller/gangster film takes a pop at the state of a nation.

"America's not a country, it's a business." is the perfectly delivered final line from Brad's character. It was also a good talking point during the presser that followed.

Brad was asked whether he agrees that 'Hollywood is not a culture, it's a business'.

"It's the age old battle of art versus commerce. And it will always be. I don't really wrestle with the relationship of the two. They're not meant to get along. They're symbiotic. It's a symbiotic relationship and it's cantankerous and it will always be that. There's something noble about making something that says something and covers something, and being able to do it within that system where it has to be profitable, or the thing doesn't get made."

Pitt plays Jackie Cogan, an enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a poker game that was protected by the mob. He produced and stars in the film for which he teamed up once again with writer/director Andrew Dominik. The pair previously worked together on The Assassination of Jesse James.

Co-stars Ray Liotta, Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn (who were all fantastic in the film) lined up alongside Brad for the conference but it was obvious who the hordes of eager journos were there to see. And yes, I'm including myself in that.

It was a candid insight into the man that is Brad Pitt, his political lean ("to the left a bit") and what makes him tick (architecture and his family).

On the subject of his personal life, he said that Angelina Jolie is not here in Cannes with him as she's prepping for a new role and that rumours of an August wedding are false. "There's no date been set."]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1533210 2012-05-22T05:58:15-04:00 2012-07-22T05:12:24-04:00

Jane Witherspoon http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-witherspoon/ iLL Manors - Ben Drew aka Plan B's new film. Maybe not the wisest film choice for a night of switching off/escapism.

It's been dubbed a hip-hop musical but it's more of a gritty drama about six people - the main character Aaron, a junkie, an ex-con, a gangster, a prostitute and a drug dealer. The film is harrowing and maybe a bit too close to reality for some viewers, but the direction occasionally comes across as shocking for the sake of being shocking. It did, however, make us sit up and take notice... and wince.

I met up with Ben (he likes to use his real name for his film career!) at the Majestic Beach. Ironic that our setting couldn't be further from the harsh streets of east London where the film was set and Ben grew up. I never thought I'd be in Cannes talking social activism with Plan B?!

He says that he's trying to pack a punch with his film and wants it to 'slap people in the face' so they sit up and see what's happening in society.

"I think my favourite films and favourite albums have shaped me as a person - they've shaped me as an artist. That's the reason I choose to talk about a subject matter like this other than some of the more generic issues that are so prominent in popular music and film."

Ben definitely wanted to cause a storm... I'd just left one! A sandstorm. Half an hour earlier I'd been down the road interviewing 'fitty' but 'shorty', Gael Garcia Bernal. He took a very keen interest in my producer Poppy who impressed him with her latin lingo! Damn it... why didn't I pay attention in Spanish class?! He was joined by director Pablo Larrain... and boy did la rain come down. The weather in Cannes definitely isn't what I signed up for. The boys and I were caught in a torrential downpour following the sandstorm. Try talking to one of the sexiest men on the planet with grit in your teeth. Nice. Theirs is another provocative film. 'No' is about an advertising exec who has to create a referendum TV campaign to persuade people to say 'No' to voting for Pinochet. Gael says that he consciously chooses films that are political and will get people talking.

"All the films I've done have a political aspect to them. I've surrendered to and celebrate the fact that human stories have a political complexity."

When asked if he'd ever fancy working in politics his honesty made me fall a little bit more in love with him.

"Sometimes I say what I'm thinking and in politics you can't do that. That's the first thing you shouldn't do. You need to think twice about what you say."

Tell me about it. Right got to dash... off to chat to Ken Loach - a man whose films always have something to say.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1526171 2012-05-17T21:27:13-04:00 2012-07-17T05:12:20-04:00

Jane Witherspoon http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-witherspoon/ Rust & Bone, I had no idea of the emotional wreck I'd become exactly two hours later.

A killer whale attack, bare knuckle fighting and life on the poverty line doesn't sound great on paper but there's good reason this film has sparked excitement on la Croisette. It arrived in Cannes pre-sold and is being touted as this year's The Artist. French sensation Marion Cotillard puts in a stunning performance. I was apprehensive about whether I'd believe she was paraplegic - but the effects were so convincing, I didn't give it a second thought despite it having such a massive impact every time I saw that her legs were missing. She even tattoos them left and right! Word on the street is that she could be on her way to picking up her second Oscar. I'll have more on her and her co-star Matthias Schoenaerts (who made a name for himself in Bullhead) tomorrow when I sit down for a little chat with both.

As well as the glitz, it's worth remembering that Cannes is very much about the business side of things. Ashok Amritraj, chairman of distributors Hyde Park Entertainment (the people behind Shopgirl and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) popped by our Variety Live @ Cannes studio to tell me all about what it takes to achieve box office success: "You need a great script to start off with. It all revolves around that. That attracts the stars and the director. Then I think the marketing and distribution of the film is crucial. You see so many wonderful films that don't get properly marketed, and then you see some that are not that great that get marketed in a superb way by one of the studios and it goes out there and becomes a hit. So I think 50% of it is the creative and the production and 50% is the distribution and marketing".

I was rather amused to discover that Ashok is a former pro-tennis player and ATP could soon be given a run for their money: "I used to hang out in Monaco in the early days and play the Princess Grace celebrity tennis tournament. In fact, Prince Albert and I won the doubles there. So I've grown up around these parts in a way and it's great fun - the parties are always great. I have tennis games at my house Saturday mornings in LA. We have quite a good group... stars, studio executives... it's a sought-after tennis game!" Name dropper!

To end my evening on a glamorous note I headed off to Nikki Beach for a cocktail party to celebrate photographer Stephane Kossman. I still don't know who he/she is?! The party had ended before I arrived. A good friend of mine told me that in Cannes 'the party is where you make it'. I'm still waiting to make it... but I'm always up for a party.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1522769 2012-05-17T03:46:58-04:00 2012-07-16T05:12:04-04:00

Jane Witherspoon http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-witherspoon/
The 65th Cannes Film Festival promises to be one of the most celebby and the first night didn't disappoint. Director Wes Anderson opened with his new film Moonrise Kingdom. The film's stars Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis and Ed Norton couldn't resist popping on their finest threads and turned out in support. There were a few other high-profile guests to keep the crowds happy - Alec Baldwin, Eva Longoria (I'm off to a boat party with her later this week), Harvey Weinstein and Chris Pine. Our Variety Live studio is directly opposite la Palais so I managed to sneak a peek during rehearsals for our first show to see what all the fuss and screams were about.

I've seen the film and can sum it up in a word... 'Kooky'! From the off, you can tell this film has been Wes'd. It's like watching a puppet show inside a doll's house with the obligatory dysfunctional family. The fact the film is up for the Palme d'Or and opened the festivities cements Anderson as genre-defining.

Another director whose name just needs a whisper to get tongues wagging is Roman Polanski. He's the subject of a new documentary by Laurent Bouzereau. While it's certainly sympathetic it's also definitely one clever piece of PR. There were tears in the eyes of some of the most hardened journos as Roman opened up and told of his harrowing experience growing up in occupied Poland. His film The Pianist is basically his early memories of that time. But he wasn't so transparent about THAT other part of his life. The film is carefully managed when it comes to discussing the incident that led to his 1977 charge of unlawful sex with an underage girl. He might be one of the world's most famous directors but his contribution to cinema will always it seems be overshadowed by that.

There are rumours he's going to be coming into town for the festival. It will be a rare appearance by one of the film world's most controversial figures. The paps' stepladders will remain propped outside la Palais, because while it might be awkward to watch, the world IS still watching the Roman Polanski show.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1520274 2012-05-16T05:09:25-04:00 2012-07-15T05:12:09-04:00

Jane Witherspoon http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-witherspoon/
The atmosphere here is building. The paparazzi have had their assistants camped outside La Palais with their step ladders for days now and I've never seen as many paint pots and handymen...they're even giving the faded passage pietons (that's zebra crossings to you and I) the once over as the town awaits the A-list crowd.



Even before day one the festival is making headlines. A sexism row has broken out because all of the 22 entries for the big prize, the Palme d'Or, are directed by men. Feminist group La Barbe ('the beard'!) - has written an open letter to the festival organisers, published in Le Monde, attacking the lack of women in the festival.

Though last year there were four female directors in the competition...so far the only woman to have won the Palme d'Or is Jane Campion for her 1993 film The Piano.

I'm all for sisterly solidarity but if female filmmakers aren't producing the goods, surely we don't want any old tosh put forward just to correct a bad statistic? But should we really be blaming Cannes? As a festival, it has a duty to seek out and encourage more female filmmakers. As a woman, I'd love to see more at the helm of the industry but women can't play the sexism card as an excuse.

The film industry has nurtured many hugely talented women directors - Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, and Catherine Hardwicke being just a few. The next generation of filmmakers should take inspiration from them.

Berenice Bejo is opening and closing the festival. She told me, "...I don't really agree with the sexism row. Last year there were four female directors and two were French. There was a lot of focus on them. It's unfair to suggest that Thierry Fermaux (Head of the Festival) would choose a film based on whether the director was female or male. The question is 'why are there not so many female directors?' In some countries you, as a woman, cannot even make a movie. That's just because they are women. It's not right to say that the Cannes Festival is sexist."



In every job, men are better paid, have more responsibilities, it's not just in the movie industry. It's everywhere. It's hard. On set you have crew, actors, directors, you have to be strong (as a woman) but we're good and we work hard. We're getting there!"

Whatever your gender, this place can make a film. Just look at what happened last year when Berenice's husband Michel Hazanavicius came to Cannes looking for a distributor for his film The Artist. Harvey Weinstein swooped in and bought up the rights before it had even been screened! It went on to pick up 5 Oscars including Best Picture.

So, back to this year's prize. Of the many men who are vying for the prestigious gong, who's going to walk away with it? I'm going to stick my neck on the line and say from the off that French-Belgian film De Rouille Et D'os (Rust and Bone), directed by Jacques Audiard, starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts is my fave. Beautifully shot, it's the story of a woman who loses her legs in a whale attack.

Yes, it sounds random on paper but this is what we're going be talking about and waxing lyrical over for the next eight months! Oscar success could be on the cards for Audiard. But it's Marion's stunning performance that will have people talking...you see, behind every successful man there's a woman.

More Cannes chaos @janeyspoon ...]]>