 Hi folks, I am at Cannes Film Festival to be part of the Producers Network. To learn, make new contacts, pitch my new projects to the potential investors and find us co-producers. Wish me luck! This is how our breakfast table looks like every day we arrive at the breakfast meetings of Producers Network.  Being part of Producers Network makes me realize how many people same like me trying hard to persuade their dream in de film world. What I see is just a small group. There are more! Much more than we can imagine. And that's just in the film world. If we count all the people from all kind of art disciplines, we can easily say that there are millions. It makes me happy and scared at the same time. Happy to see so much passion for the filmmaking. And scared because it makes me a very very small part of this huge industry. The industry that can make or brake you in one second. 
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 Hi folks, I am at Cannes Film Festival to be part of the Producers Network. To learn, make new contacts, pitch my new projects to the potential investors and find us co-producers. Wish me luck!  Today I stayed longer in bed. I had to. My body was totally exhausted. Sometimes two hour extra sleep can provide energy for two days. Therefore I had to miss my daily breakfast meeting at the producers network, but I already had checked and the sessions were not very interesting and not much useful to me. So my conscious could easily be at rest. I made it at about 10:30 in the center and because I had enough time till my first meeting I treated myself to a simple but o, very delicious breakfast at a spot I had found during my last visit on May 2015. Everything was great. The sun shined, people were chatting and laughing around me. The only thing I mist very much at that moment, was my darling Leonard. The most beautiful part of enjoying a moment is sharing that with him, talk about it, laugh at it and experience it. While I was waiting for my breakfast I read an article about the big money that some publishers earn from some books. The same goes for the distributors who earn from the films. A couple of evenings ago I was invited to a party at the office/house of a French distributor. It was a huge villa with a beautiful garden, inviting pool and mirrored ceiling. I was then wondering if the filmmakers whom this distributor is representing have also a villa like that. I never understood this unfair fact why many artists suffer poverty while their agents, publishers, distributors getting richer on the back of these artists. Why is the business of selling so rewarding? And why people with sometimes a high creativity let others use them so openly. Do we, artists, have to learn the art of selling? Or is better to learn not to let others use us so badly? And the most important question that i ask myself many times: Can we, artists, become successful salesmen and remain great artists?
 Hi folks, I am at Cannes Film Festival to be part of the Producers Network. To learn, make new contacts, pitch my new projects to the potential investors and find us co-producers. Wish me luck!  If I could I would reinvent the networking. I would make sure everybody talks at least with one person whom he didn't know at all. This is just one of the changes among a longs list of them. Yesterday I did an experiment. I was alone at the Producers Network Happy Hour and I promised myself not to use my cellphone at all. Because it's so tempting and also natural to grab your phone when you are all alone at a party. What we actually did do those days when there was no cellphones. Back to my experience. I began to count people who made themselves busy with their smart phones or their camera to avoid letting others know that they are alone. The happiness and relief is enormous when they suddenly see a friend or colleague. Networking is a hell when you don't know anybody. All these happy, chatting social people suddenly transform to lonely sad individuals when they don't have anybody at a gathering or party. I decided to put my first rules of networking in action. I turned to a young lady who sat alone, busy with her phone and ask her if she wants a drink, since I was going to have one. She said yes although her glass was half full. She had a friendly nice smile. I brought our drinks and that was the beginning of a good conversation and who knows maybe even a friendship. I am so glad that I made an effort. Because now I know a very interesting and talented person. That's a present from life!  Hi folks, I am at Cannes Film Festival to be part of the Producers Network. To learn, make new contacts, pitch my new projects to the potential investors and find us co-producers. Wish me luck! The first two cold days here in Cannes surprised all the guests. Everybody was shivering in their summer clothes or buying jackets from the local shops. Today the sun has made everyone happy with her entrance. You immediately see the changes. Happiness is spreading around and people smile automatically more. Being at a festival like Cannes, participating in workshops and meetings, attending cocktails. It is al about connection and the connection make the impossible possible. I am a woman with a opinion, but I am not good at making the first step towards people. If someone comes to me, I'm welcoming them with open arms. But it's been always difficult for me to make the first step and that is what I'm working on it. Today it was a fun day, exhausting but fun! There was first the breakfast meeting with the head of distributor company Cats&Docs. Really a wonderful lady with a lot of fire in her eyes. You could see she is passionate about her work.  After that a very long afternoon hearing many many informations about funding in different European countries. So much information, So much rules and so much ways. I felt like a rookie. Omg! I have so much to learn. Film-making is a never ending school, the more you learn the more you have to learn again. I closed the day with a nice party at the Dutch Pavilion with nice friends, nice wine and funny lightly conversation. It feels great being among friends. The one in particular is Aydin. He is much younger than me, but sometimes I feel he is a older brother, taking care of me, pushing me not to be shy, make sure I'm eating properly. Thanks darling. You are awesome!
 Hi folks, I am at Cannes Film Festival to be part of the Producers Network. To learn, make new contacts, pitch my new projects to the potential investors and find us co-producers. Wish me luck! This morning was getting up the hardest thing to do. Not because I was sleepy (to be honest that too), but specially because my feet were painful after yesterdays kilometers walking. I did manage to get up after a long serious conversion with myself and walked again. Before I knew the pain was gone, or I didn't feel it any more. This time I was on time for the daily breakfast meeting and I succeeded to sit at the table I wanted to sit at: Co-producing with ARTE France. I think our guest of honor (one of the managers of ARTE) was more sleepy than I was this morning. He looked not happy at all. It’s kind of hard to be at that table so early in the morning, talking to a bunch of eager hungry over-enthusiastic and hopeful ambitious producers from all over the world. I didn't want to be in his place. After a coffee and many glasses of water, he looked finally a little bit relaxed and gave us the feeling we can ask questions. And o, we did! The meeting was after all helpful and informative but made me realize I still have a long way to go. I suddenly heard myself saying: when all this began? When did we stop creating films and began to make films to sell? When did we betrayed art by value it by money? Are we still worthy of art?  My next meeting was wonderful, I met a wonder lady from one of the Scandinavian countries. A lady who create opportunities for people, opens doors, invests in young talents and is extremely successful in all of that. Somebody I can learn from anytime from now on. Because she liked me (she said so with big smile) and we shook hands sincerely and are going to work with each other. I will tell you about her later again. The rest of my meetings were joyful, fruitful and good. I didn't stay for the cocktails and parties and went home. Happy and grateful! I am grateful to everybody who stands behind me, beside me and in front me. You are all marvelous people. Love you! ( I really am not drunk and this is the whole truth!) |