The Glitz and “Clamour” of the red carpet

Thanks to his job, my father was invited to attend the American Film Festival in Deauville (Normandy) for a week and gallantly, he proposed to his very lucky daughter. Along the way I could pretend I was doing some preparatory work for my film studies degree too!

Celebrities stepped out of black cars, adjusted their beautiful outfits and started the not-so-long walk on the carpet. To be honest, as I watched my father check the security system and chat with a few colleagues, I felt cold, young and useless. When the smiling ambassador of the United States arrived in an armoured car to walk down the red carpet, my father flanked her…and I trotted alongside him. Photographers piled on top of one another shouting ‘Left! Right! Over here, please!’ With blinding lights flashing at me, I knew no one cared about a complete stranger but it was still extremely stressful and daunting. I remember how I chided myself for not checking my hair before they took these pictures! I can only remotely imagine the stress actual celebrities might go through on their strenuous “journey” on the red carpet.

Upon entering a huge conference room we got to our seats. The speeches delivered during the ceremony insisted on the links between the US and France although I do not see much of a relationship between Chloë Grace-Moretz and my country. The first film Infiltrator starring and introduced by Diane Kruger was interesting but slightly too long for my stomach which went on strike. How wonderful. I had to endure an acid crisis in the middle of the opening film of a prestigious festival, stuck in a fancy dress. This annoyance reminded me of Ellen DeGeneres comparing the Academy Award ceremony to the Hunger Games –all starving, all in competition, all on camera. Starving, I arrived at the Casino for dinner. As someone who desperately wants to become part of the film industry, I was definitely hoping to meet professionals from the cinema industry but unfortunately there were none at my table- just a group of sympathetic yet very nostalgic fifty-year olds I did not know.

Let’s admit that this evening was a complete failure for the expansion of my professional network. However, I will never forget the first red carpet I walked on and the passion of the organisers of the festival. The glamour of the event is actually centred on very few, very famous people who know their role as icons. Nevertheless, there are many unknown or unimportant guests who mingle with the crowd and only wish to enjoy a pleasant evening and a week of interesting films. Somehow, I was very happy to be part of the anonymous mass, not having to care about my picture in the newspaper the next morning or lewd remarks about my outfit. To enjoy a festival, it is best to be a nobody!