There are still outward signs of glamour on the Croisette in Cannes but economic reality has gripped the film market at this year’s 62nd film festival. Some of the biggest parties have been cancelled and for the first time in years it is easy to get a hotel room.
“It is certainly much quieter this year and clearly a tougher environment for independent film makers,” says Rebecca O’Brien, producer of Ken Loach films including Looking for Eric, which has been nominated for the festival’s top prize, the Palme D’Or.
The seafront restaurants and cafes in Cannes are teeming with bejewelled ladies and men in black ties but attendance is down an estimated 20 to 30 per cent on last year as corporate expense accounts are slashed amid the slowdown.