:00:00. > :00:12.Now on BBC News: Cannes 2014 with Tom Brook.
:00:13. > :00:20.Hello and welcome to Cannes 2014. In today's programme, we will be
:00:21. > :00:25.looking back at some of the highlights of this year 's Cannes
:00:26. > :00:29.Phil Festival which draws to a close this week and. It is a beautiful
:00:30. > :00:36.melting pot of world culture and the vision of the world through cinema.
:00:37. > :00:41.I think it is extraordinary. It feels exotic to me. The history is
:00:42. > :00:49.what I feel is palpable. The love of film. Coming up in the programme,
:00:50. > :00:55.Nicole Kidman, she dabbled with her glamour but nobody liked her job. I
:00:56. > :01:06.am very happy with it because for me, as an actress, you don't get to
:01:07. > :01:10.play roles like this. Britain's Mike Leigh earned praise for his
:01:11. > :01:15.biography of JMW Turner but insisted the picture was not about him. The
:01:16. > :01:19.film is in no way any kind of a self`portrait. And British actor,
:01:20. > :01:28.Robert Pattinson starred in a twisting satire of Hollywood. It
:01:29. > :01:32.shows how crazy actors are. Also a picture from Africa showing Timbuktu
:01:33. > :01:36.under the rule of religious fundamentalist. Subject matter that
:01:37. > :01:41.the directors are emotionally overwhelming. And we follow a
:01:42. > :01:42.British film making team at the festival who are trying to sell
:01:43. > :01:54.their low`budget movie. I have been coming to the Cannes
:01:55. > :01:58.Film Festival for more than a decade and I can't quite remember an
:01:59. > :02:05.opening night picture being quite so reviled as M O Starling Nicole
:02:06. > :02:13.Kidman. It tells the story of Greece Kelly when she was Princess consort
:02:14. > :02:17.of Monaco. The film 's star, Nicole Kidman was a big attraction on
:02:18. > :02:21.opening night. In the picture, put together by French director Olivier
:02:22. > :02:24.Dahan, she plays Princess Grace who has given up Hollywood career to
:02:25. > :02:29.marry Prince Rainier in Monaco. Alfred Hitchcock Hayes visit. You we
:02:30. > :02:37.go into production in spring. Universal will pay you $1 million.
:02:38. > :02:43.Well it's not about the money. Nicole Kidman, it was a role that
:02:44. > :02:50.required work. The dialect, every part of it was, I had to study and
:02:51. > :02:55.research. And then also trying to not put her on a pedestal because,
:02:56. > :03:08.Grace Kelly, Princess Grace is on a pedestal for the world. It is the
:03:09. > :03:13.story of a woman trying to figure out the obligations. Can she take on
:03:14. > :03:17.a Llanrwst role in Hollywood or is she bowed to her husband, children
:03:18. > :03:23.and the kingdom at a perilous time? Film arrived in Cannes amid
:03:24. > :03:27.controversy. The way it was edited had displeased Hardy wine steam, the
:03:28. > :03:31.film is to be done. He was a no`show on opening night. Princess Grace's
:03:32. > :03:37.children were not happy with the film, even though they have not seen
:03:38. > :03:41.it. I understand them, as children, protecting the privacy of their
:03:42. > :03:45.parents. I understand that this is fictionalised at times. I understand
:03:46. > :03:49.that, ultimately, there is an enormous amount of love and respect
:03:50. > :03:53.in the way in which we have done the film and they also know they have
:03:54. > :04:01.not seen the film. All of those things come into play.
:04:02. > :04:08.But what was perhaps most newsworthy was race of Monaco's exceedingly
:04:09. > :04:14.negative reviews. Critics revelled in choosing the nasty words possible
:04:15. > :04:17.to describe the picture. Your is very funny because the movie opens
:04:18. > :04:20.with a statement from Grace Kelly herself saying that people who
:04:21. > :04:24.thought that her life was a fairytale got it all wrong. The
:04:25. > :04:30.movie just reinforces at every turn all of these old cliches. But
:04:31. > :04:34.despite all the negative feedback, Nicole Kidman maintained she was
:04:35. > :04:40.pleased she had done the film. I and very happy with it because for me,
:04:41. > :04:44.as an actress, you do not get to play roles like this. You do not get
:04:45. > :04:52.offered... I don't get offered, I have never had the chance to do a
:04:53. > :04:58.role where it is glamorous and vulnerable and sort of a
:04:59. > :05:07.rollercoaster of emotions yet all in this particular era.
:05:08. > :05:12.It wasn't a bad year for the British at Cannes with some half a dozen
:05:13. > :05:18.offerings. Early on, veteran director Mike Leigh's Mr Turner made
:05:19. > :05:23.a very favourable impression. It is a biography of the British landscape
:05:24. > :05:30.painter, D W Turner. Portrayed William Lee by Timothy Spall. ``
:05:31. > :05:35.brilliantly. Whiteley was there on red carpet with his cast. It is the
:05:36. > :05:42.directors of film in competition at Cannes and his third period picture.
:05:43. > :05:52.He has always been smitten by JMW Turner and has long wanted to put
:05:53. > :06:01.together a biography. It really started to be an idea at the end of
:06:02. > :06:11.the century. Turner is part of our culture. I have always loved his
:06:12. > :06:15.stuff since the 60s. The discovery about his personality, I suddenly
:06:16. > :06:24.thought, this is a potential character in my film. What he
:06:25. > :06:29.painted was very cinematic. It does seem like a good idea and we have
:06:30. > :06:40.spent all of the time since then trying to raise the money and
:06:41. > :06:45.finally, getting to do it. My dear friend... To this blog is one of the
:06:46. > :06:49.best performances of his career depicting Turner. He is not exactly
:06:50. > :06:56.used to celebrity but there were or to grasp to be signed in Cannes.
:06:57. > :07:03.Either London and he brings to sense of a London, a Cockney London. He is
:07:04. > :07:06.very much out of Dickens. He is very understanding of the 19 century and
:07:07. > :07:10.I thought his sensibilities would be right in the character who is a very
:07:11. > :07:12.public 's character. What we have created is our interpretation of the
:07:13. > :07:24.real guy. How do you view Turner is a human
:07:25. > :07:28.being? As I was watching the film, the things about him I liked but
:07:29. > :07:30.there were also things I do not like. That is right. What is
:07:31. > :07:37.fascinating about him is he is flawed. He is absolutely likeable
:07:38. > :07:44.and are remarkable. And, that is how you can only do him. As always with
:07:45. > :07:47.my films, my job is to give it to you but not to resolve it. It is up
:07:48. > :07:55.to you, the audience to decide what you feel about this guy. People seem
:07:56. > :08:03.to be saying, that somehow you get to really understand him and
:08:04. > :08:07.sympathise with him in a way even love him but the fact is he is
:08:08. > :08:14.flawed. He has some extremely negative traits. You know the
:08:15. > :08:20.duality about Turner who has good and bad part or is flawed, did you
:08:21. > :08:21.see yourself in that way at all? Obviously, you have great strength
:08:22. > :08:24.and I'm sure you have weaknesses and I'm sure you have weaknesses
:08:25. > :08:31.too. You have good technique as a filmmaker, he had expected the. This
:08:32. > :08:35.film is in no way any kind of a sort portrayed, other than the fact he is
:08:36. > :08:45.an artist and we are artists who do these things. All of us, including
:08:46. > :08:50.new, are complex and conflicted and have good and bad characteristics.
:08:51. > :08:56.That is as much as I would say. Any correlation between Turner and me is
:08:57. > :09:02.relevant. The look of the film, it is remarkable. Presumably, a lot of
:09:03. > :09:09.work went into getting the look right at times. It does resemble a
:09:10. > :09:14.painting at times. Dick Pope who is a cinematographer who I have worked
:09:15. > :09:19.if since 1990 and who is brilliant. He has done an amazing job. As I
:09:20. > :09:23.say, we talked about as for bread long time and looked at the
:09:24. > :09:31.paintings, looked at birth... Went to the Tate. If you do that over a
:09:32. > :09:40.long stretch, it gets into your bloodstream. You start to see the
:09:41. > :09:45.world in appropriate terms. All that informs how it was designed and how
:09:46. > :09:52.it was shot and how we look at it. The object was to evoke Turner's
:09:53. > :09:56.paintings in the look of the film. You have had a tremendous leap
:09:57. > :10:02.positive reception at Cannes for the film. How do you rate Cannes as a
:10:03. > :10:05.film festival was that you have been here many times and I know you have
:10:06. > :10:12.attended other film festivals, what is it that you like or not about
:10:13. > :10:15.Cannes? I think it is great because it celebrates something that is
:10:16. > :10:22.alive and well and kicking and that is filmmaking in the world. It's
:10:23. > :10:25.also great because it is the centre of world cinema outside and beyond
:10:26. > :10:31.the reach of Hollywood. And although, Cannes as always is
:10:32. > :10:36.plastered with great big awards put up by the American majors, they
:10:37. > :10:42.still can't buy their way into the festival. They just have to sit
:10:43. > :10:49.around and do their thing while real film from the world is celebrated. I
:10:50. > :10:56.think it is good news, myself. I think it is a gas. I believe you to
:10:57. > :11:01.be an man of great spirit and fine feeling. For Mike Leigh, it must
:11:02. > :11:06.have been holding to receive so many positive reviews at Cannes. There
:11:07. > :11:11.was also noteworthy that the 71 automaker quite clearly fascinate
:11:12. > :11:12.young people in the industry who were drawn to listen to him
:11:13. > :11:28.discussing the film and his career. And now onto a very different
:11:29. > :11:33.phenomenon at Cannes, actor Robert Pattinson appeared on the red
:11:34. > :11:42.carpet. The actor who gained heartthrob status tend to Cannes to
:11:43. > :11:48.promote a very different picture. I've got to pay the bills. How is
:11:49. > :11:55.your business? A dark twisted satire set in Hollywood from David
:11:56. > :12:00.Cronenberg, he plays an inspiring actor `` aspiring actor and
:12:01. > :12:02.chauffeur. You have a much more substantial role in the dystopian
:12:03. > :12:06.Australian road movie, the Rover. He plays the younger brother of a man
:12:07. > :12:16.who has stolen vehicle much beloved by an angry character portrayed by
:12:17. > :12:26.Guy Pearce. In terms of an acting challenge, how did it push you? Is
:12:27. > :12:33.it unlike you have done before? Just in terms of physicality but mainly
:12:34. > :12:37.because the script and the part as well, it was so loose about what the
:12:38. > :12:47.character was you could really be quite free to do almost anything. Is
:12:48. > :12:56.this man your friend? Tell me where your brother is. To one scary thing
:12:57. > :13:05.for me was doing too much. You just overload on weird ticks and staff.
:13:06. > :13:13.`` stuff. It actually one of the easiest characters I have ever
:13:14. > :13:17.played. What's happening in LA? This is a good festival from you because
:13:18. > :13:23.you have another film here. What kind of comment is that film making
:13:24. > :13:31.about Hollywood? It was pretty savage about almost everybody. There
:13:32. > :13:38.is also a kind of weird mysticism to it. It is such a weird film. I find
:13:39. > :13:44.all the winners in Hollywood really entertaining. No matter how dark and
:13:45. > :13:56.self obsessed. It shows a lot of how crazy actors are.
:13:57. > :14:06.You have been taking on really good roles in recent times. Do you feel
:14:07. > :14:15.you have moved away from being pigeonholed as a Twilight person? I
:14:16. > :14:19.don't know. I have been really lucky with script and it just so happened
:14:20. > :14:28.that suddenly, these parts came along at the same time. I basically
:14:29. > :14:40.still think exactly as I did years ago. I have approached everything
:14:41. > :14:42.exactly the same. One of the defining characteristics of the
:14:43. > :14:47.macro Cannes Film Festival is that it brings together the populist with
:14:48. > :14:51.the rarefied. There are artistically fashion films that appear in
:14:52. > :14:59.competition, buying for the Palm d'Or. Then there are those sold
:15:00. > :15:07.through the brush consumerism of the Hollywood studio. `` fashion. On
:15:08. > :15:11.Sunday morning of the first weekend of the festival, there was a
:15:12. > :15:17.collection of ageing Hollywood men positioned on top of tanks. It was
:15:18. > :15:20.an old`fashioned Hollywood PR stunt come to life. Promoting a
:15:21. > :15:27.forthcoming action thriller, the expendables three. The world became
:15:28. > :15:31.excited. They brought to big tanks here, it shot of the world. It was
:15:32. > :15:37.really indicative of the love that people feel for Arnold
:15:38. > :15:41.Schwarznegger, Sylvester Stallone. And Mel Gibson. People cheered and
:15:42. > :15:45.took photos. You need something physical for people to photograph,
:15:46. > :15:49.that is what they are here to do. How effective is a stunt like that?
:15:50. > :15:54.Given how quickly information travels and disappears in the wide
:15:55. > :16:00.world. Is it worth the studio doing that? With the expendables three, it
:16:01. > :16:04.was worth it. They were showing two minutes of show reel of the film,
:16:05. > :16:07.they did not give an indication of the plot but they were still on the
:16:08. > :16:11.national newspaper websites and front pages all over the world for
:16:12. > :16:20.bringing a couple of tanks on. It cost 1 million, but it will take 200
:16:21. > :16:24.million, it easy. `` easy. Another studio picture, the animated How To
:16:25. > :16:28.Train Your Dragon, was also trying to get every bit of publicity it
:16:29. > :16:33.could in Cannes. The PR operation was highly organised, but there was
:16:34. > :16:40.an unexpected event that made use at the premiere of the film. `` made
:16:41. > :16:51.the news. The red carpet premiere of How To Train Your Dragon two is new
:16:52. > :16:57.`` a prankster crawled under the lead of the film, America Ferrera,
:16:58. > :17:03.and waved of photographers. `` under the dress of the lead of the film.
:17:04. > :17:07.They cannot just have her walking down the carpet uneventfully, they
:17:08. > :17:14.had to have someone going under her skirt! It is to Riddick! I will not
:17:15. > :17:17.let anything happen to you. `` it is brilliant. Compared to other
:17:18. > :17:22.festivals, it certainly feels global. But when you look at the
:17:23. > :17:26.films that were in competition this year, large areas of the planet were
:17:27. > :17:33.excluded, Africa was all but forgotten. Except with one film set
:17:34. > :17:42.in Mali, beautifully shot, but dealing with a harsh reality.
:17:43. > :17:47.Timbuktu is set to be the first film to look at the takeover of Northern
:17:48. > :17:52.Mali by Islamist militants in 2012. It is the story of local herdsman
:17:53. > :17:56.who accidentally kills a fisherman `` a local herdsman. He bears the
:17:57. > :18:03.full brunt of Islamic law, played by Ebrahim Ahmed. You must have had an
:18:04. > :18:08.emotional connection when you were shooting this film, you were dealing
:18:09. > :18:14.with events that had an impact on you because of what happened in
:18:15. > :18:18.Mali. TRANSLATION: Absolutely, it is very touching, what you see in the
:18:19. > :18:22.film affected thousands of people in the north of the country in Mali. It
:18:23. > :18:30.is moving for me and moving for others, and I am happy that the film
:18:31. > :18:34.can be shown here, that people around the world can see the film
:18:35. > :18:43.and learn the story, and find out what place in our homes. Lives were
:18:44. > :18:49.upended in Northern Mali in 2012, the director, raised in Mali, is
:18:50. > :18:53.connected to the trauma of those times. He was overwhelmed at the
:18:54. > :18:57.press conference by the film. It was important for him to show the
:18:58. > :19:04.audience is not only the horror but the beauty of Mali and its people.
:19:05. > :19:10.TRANSLATION: Beauty is important to me, and fundamental. It is beauty
:19:11. > :19:16.that will save humanity, and that is what the film is about, despite the
:19:17. > :19:21.complex and difficult is and what separates us. It is up to all of
:19:22. > :19:25.us, to do what we can to embrace other people and embrace humanity in
:19:26. > :19:29.ourselves and in other people. We have to recognise that even the
:19:30. > :19:33.fundamentalists have in them a sense of humanity and it is important to
:19:34. > :19:39.acknowledge that humanity and other people otherwise we destroy that
:19:40. > :19:50.humanity. `` humanity in other people. The film shows local women
:19:51. > :20:04.fighting back, looking at the activity of Islamist militants in
:20:05. > :20:07.Mali. TRANSLATION: The unfortunate events in Nigeria now will give a
:20:08. > :20:15.greater impact to what the film shows all across the sub Saharan
:20:16. > :20:21.countries and around the world. But Timbuktu is just a film, can it make
:20:22. > :20:26.that much difference? TRANSLATION: A film in itself cannot resolve a
:20:27. > :20:30.problem but allows us to reflect which is important. If people are
:20:31. > :20:43.willing to reflect, and embrace the film, that allows them to help bring
:20:44. > :20:48.them further. Timbuktu has been well received at Cannes, but the leading
:20:49. > :20:55.man says that the film will not be complete until the people of Mali
:20:56. > :20:59.see it. Many talented directors come to the film festival with the hope
:21:00. > :21:03.that the film that they have passionately created will land a
:21:04. > :21:07.distribution deal. They have to work very hard, because there is a lot of
:21:08. > :21:11.competition and they need to get attention. We followed a filmmaking
:21:12. > :21:15.team who shot a drama in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, not exactly a part of
:21:16. > :21:25.the world you associate with moviemaking.
:21:26. > :21:30.All kinds of industry highflyers come, but there are also low`budget
:21:31. > :21:35.films and directors who come to the film festival to put their pictures
:21:36. > :21:37.into the market. Basically, a gigantic clearinghouse where people
:21:38. > :21:48.come from around the world to buy and sell the films metrical their
:21:49. > :21:54.films. I had to stay a few days. Ian and Rebecca Wendy with their picture
:21:55. > :21:57.Pleasure Island, where Ian has the leading role. It chronicles what
:21:58. > :22:02.happens to a soldier who returns home to Grimsby, where he reconnects
:22:03. > :22:05.with a childhood friend, was not altogether harmonious results. For
:22:06. > :22:10.Ian Sharp, it was like moving into a different world, sitting in front of
:22:11. > :22:20.the famous redcarpet steps of the filmfest. I feel like I don't belong
:22:21. > :22:26.here. I am not there yet, I do have to get to that level. It will come.
:22:27. > :22:31.His wife Rebecca Felber bringing the picture here was a logical, if not
:22:32. > :22:35.inexpensive move, once they finish the film `` his wife Rebecca felt.
:22:36. > :22:40.The best thing for us is to go somewhere like a film festival to
:22:41. > :22:44.show it and what feedback we get, and the response. We have to make
:22:45. > :22:49.sure we target the right audience and the right sales agents as well.
:22:50. > :22:53.You know that guy? I worked for him. Although Pleasure Island is an
:22:54. > :22:57.accomplished picture from the first time director, it was not an easy
:22:58. > :23:02.challenge to get people to pay attention. We do not have a star,
:23:03. > :23:08.let's say, there are certain elements to it that makes it a
:23:09. > :23:14.harder sell. I guess we are at the lower ladder, competing even with
:23:15. > :23:17.the films that would be struggling to get distribution all sales
:23:18. > :23:23.attached, and stuff like that. You bring it here, because it is the
:23:24. > :23:29.chance to meet all of the distribution and sales in one place.
:23:30. > :23:32.It is where everyone comes. A Pleasure Island filmmaking team were
:23:33. > :23:36.trying to meet as many people as they could who could help them with
:23:37. > :23:39.their film. We have had scheduled meetings, we have gone to particular
:23:40. > :23:46.sales agents, and distribution companies from across the world. In
:23:47. > :23:51.Germany, the UK, America, we have introduced ourselves and talked
:23:52. > :23:55.about the film. People were not exactly banging down the doors to
:23:56. > :23:58.see the film but earned praise. Including the approval of a
:23:59. > :24:06.co`ordinator of an Other Film Festival, bitterly looking for
:24:07. > :24:10.movies. `` another. I stayed until the end, even though I wanted to
:24:11. > :24:14.hurry to see another film. There's more to producing a film than
:24:15. > :24:17.winning a producing deal. Making Pleasure Island advance the career
:24:18. > :24:21.of all of those involved, and they have made it clear that you can go
:24:22. > :24:26.to areas of Britain not associated with feature filmmaking, and make a
:24:27. > :24:30.film that earns respect. There has never been a film based on that
:24:31. > :24:34.area, and we did that to liberally. I hope people will see it, there is
:24:35. > :24:42.a nice beach, or whatever, there is a PR, there is a lot of stuff going
:24:43. > :24:46.on. ``a pier. That brings our look back at some of the highlights of
:24:47. > :24:50.the film festival to a close. We hope you have enjoyed the programme.
:24:51. > :24:53.From me, Tom Brook, and the rest of the production team here on the
:24:54. > :24:59.French Riviera, it is goodbye, as we leave you with some of the sights
:25:00. > :25:12.and sounds of this year 's Cannes Film Festival.
:25:13. > :25:58.(ACCORDION MUSIC). Hello there. They say that patience
:25:59. > :26:00.is a