Backstage at Cannes, party preparations begin

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Wed, May 14 10:52 PM

By James Mackenzie

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Behind the scenes as the Cannes film festival kicked off on Wednesday, a small army of support staff scrambled to complete preparations for the parties and receptions that put much of the glamour into the Croisette.

"You have to think of every detail," said party organiser Celia Gumbau, standing in one of the lavish beachside tents that will house a stream of lunches, meetings, parties and interviews throughout the two weeks of the festival.

"This morning we were thinking of flowers but the big emergency has been how to find candles," she said.

Cannes may be best known as the spiritual home of European arthouse cinema but it feeds off the celebrity power of Hollywood, and star-studded parties are as much a part of the festival as the films themselves.

Gumbau, who grew up in Cannes but started her career working at the celebrated Paris night club, les Bains Douches, is in charge of the events at two venues run by the resort and night club chain Nikki Beach during the festival.

A gruelling marathon awaits her 100 or so staff as they shift the decor for a constant stream of events ranging from a celebrity poker tournament with veteran Hollywood wildman Dennis Hopper to a select dinner for the Belgian arthouse directors the Dardenne brothers.

The workers, most experienced staff from the group's hotels, stay in rented apartments in nearby Juan-les-Pins and the atmosphere appeared buoyant as the countdown began.

But the schedule is punishing and with some of cinema's biggest names to please, there is no room for error.

"After five or six days, people start to get tired and you get people crying," Gumbau said. "You have to pick them up."

For industry executives who flood into Cannes in the wake of the stars, parties are a place to network, strike deals and make contacts, and they also play a big part in marketing new films.

The task facing event organisers has been made harder this year by the fact that the festival lineup was set so late, although no one expects much leeway from clients who have rushed to fill late bookings.

"They can be very demanding," said Gumbau. "They definitely know what they want."

Special cocktails developed by Cointreau including violet petals and gold among their ingredients will be served, three yachts ferry celebrities around the bay and an opulent array of "presents" is on offer for the fortunate few.

All that has its costs and event organisers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars getting everything right but Gumbau said the cost was worth it.

"It's not about making a profit, it's more about generating a buzz and building brand awareness."

(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare )

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