The CANNES FILM MARKET. Parties, Stars and Glamour...and oh yeah! Films. Every year the Cannes Film Festival kicks off with the most talked about films, the most sought after stars and the most extravagant parties. And every year, alongside the festival the Cannes Film Market shows the newest independent films to the worlds’ distribution companies and press. And this year, Katherine Griffin (writer, director, actress, co-producer) went to Cannes to represent "The Innocents".

The trip to Cannes was just as one would imagine it, absolutely delightful. It was so very Cannes that nothing really came as a surprise. Katherine kicked off the festival with an invitation to the opening film Vatel. Nothing like walking up the glorious red carpet surrounded by paparazzi and their flashbulbs, familiar faces and their hundreds of adoring fans to begin what is probably the biggest (certainly the most glamorous) cinema event in the world. Over the course of the festival Katherine met and spoke with so many filmmakers, personalities and artists like James Ivory, Melvin Van Peebles, Fay Dunaway, Kim Basinger, Penelope Cruz and Roger Ebert to name just a few.

Early mornings, late nights, films, meetings and parties. Lots of parties. The trip consisted mostly of parties given by the different companies screening films. Surprisingly such that a lot of people go to Cannes and never get to the films. And it’s easy to see why, because from yacht to yacht, from room to room and from pavilion to pavilion, there can be found, party after party, each one better and more glamorous then the last. There was the Riviera party overlooking the sea where everyone who wanted to be anyone wanted to be. And the smaller, more personal (as small and personal as Cannes can get) parties in hotel rooms and yatchs. Nothing like rubbing shoulders with some of Filmdom's biggest and brightest on a rocking boat full of intoxicated party goers.Katherine was shown around the fest by our LA Rep. Harris Tulchin who seemed to know absolutely everyone and introduced her to them all. Mostly Katherine hung out at the Majestic bar, an elegant little place always filled with an eccentric lot.

Our screening (May 16) was a tremendous success as far as Cannes standards went. Most of the audience stayed throughout, with the usual comers and goers throughout trying to glimpse pieces of all twenty, YES...TWENTY FILMS, screening in our 5:30pm timeslot that day. And when the credits rolled, as usual, there were tears. The end of the film seems to bring out deep emotions in people. After many congratulations from the captive audience a group set off to the Majestic to celebrate. Something Cannes does very well. All in all, a very successful trip with a very successful screening. We managed to get the word out about "The Innocents" enough to generate some genuine interest and curiosity. A very necessary thing in this indie film world overpopulated with hundreds of unseen, unheard of films.

Since our Cannes screening, many great things have come our way. We’ve been invited to enter some great festivals, both in the U.S. and abroad, we’ve received some very enticing interest from distributors and have secured a place in this year’s IFFM in New York where "The Innocents" will be one of only 32 features screening. We’re looking forward to the next few months and as usual will keep you informed of upcoming screenings, awards and all the latest...

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