Category Archives: editorial
Cannes: all the fun of the (trade) fair
As I write, the 2013 Cannes film festival is under way. Rainstorms and an unseasonal chill in the air will disappoint any journalists, photographers or film industry visitors who counted on getting a tan during their South of France visit. However, the film festival is not the only event that brings people flocking to Cannes to do business in the sun. Throughout the year, le Palais des Festivals hosts a number of international trade fairs.
mid, map and mip
A dazzling array of acronyms beginning with ‘M’ gives titles to these business events, which never fails to confuse me. Along with MIDEM (for the music industry), MIPCOM (the TV business), MIPTV (can anyone explain the difference between those last two?), MIPDOC (documentary TV) and MIPJunior (for under-16 businesspeople only?), there are also MIPIM (property) and MAPIC (also property – but retail only), among others. I feel a sense of relief as Cannes Lions comes around and I know instantly what’s going on (advertising). Each trade show brings a flood of suits to Cannes, yet each event has a different atmosphere. Earlier this spring I was on assignment at MIPIM… Read More…
In the footsteps of painters
I daresay Raoul Dufy would be surprised if, raised from the grave, he could see Nice’s Promenade des Anglais today. Known for several artworks that feature Nice and the French Riviera, he painted ‘La Baie des Anges à Nice‘ in 1927; a sweeping view of a quiet, timeless seafront.
But landscapes change. Today, the French Riviera has around 11 million visitors a year – more than any other part of France (except Paris). Together with the permanent population, that’s a lot of people to fit into a narrow strip of land, caught as it is between mountains and sea. Dufy’s distant, green hills are now a patchwork of red roofs. Elegant, parasol-shaded figures strolling across Dufy’s canvases have been replaced by herds of joggers sweating it out in head-to-toe Decathlon lycra.
“La Baie des Anges” in Nice, seen as it is today, from Dufy’s original viewpoint
Constellation Cookfest in Monaco
240 of the planet’s most (Michelin) star-studded chefs gathered together in Monaco earlier this month to pay homage to the godfather of French haute cuisine, Alain Ducasse. Alain was the host with the most at this culinary extravaganza to celebrate his 25th anniversary of heading up the Louis XV, Monaco’s only three-star restaurant. Read More…
Corsetmaker in Paris
François Tamarin is a one-off. A corsetier (corsetmaker), he has a boutique in Paris, where he designs and tailor-makes corsets. Customers come from far and wide to be squeezed into his creations. Indeed he is not just any old corsetmaker. François has earned the title ‘Un des Meilleur Ouvrier de France‘, one of France’s great honours. Read More…