CiaV, back on the Croisette!

Afternoon Saturday 17th May 2008

So last night was our first night on the Croisette. After leaving McDonald's, we made our way back to th campsite which is incidentally incredibly difficult place to find, with or without a map. Somehow we ended up high on a hill on a single lane snaking qround a craggy edge, rock on one side, long perious drop on the other. And then we met a car, and what followed was a hair-raising battle to get passed. Cars were building up behind and in frontm the ones in front had to reverse on the trecherous high road as we edged closer and closer the rock face. Meanwhile Si was desparately trying to get the camera sorted to film it, I was whimpering and Andy was swearing. Eventually we managed to get through, though it looked like we were in danger of being completely gridlocked for good. After a few more wrong turns, we got back to the site, and had a much needed drink - my first alcoholic beverage of the trip. And I had my first shower since Wednesday morning - over two days without washing!!

We were all pretty wiped out but pushed to get ready for the evening and eventually got into Cannes about 10pm. As you would expect, the traffic was incredibly busy and we were stuck for quite a while. We got a space after just two laps of the block, amazingly in virtually the same palce as CiaV parked last year - slap bang on the Croisette in front of the harbour, lined with white teepees surrounded by red lighting - it looked stunning.

Andy and Stu got working on setting up the van ready to screen some films, and suddenly it was happening - we were screening films from the back of the van right there omn the Croisette! In all our tiredness it seemed we found renewed energy at the joy of suceeding in what we had come to do.

Some old friends from last year's festival dropped by - Liz from Moviescope magazine and James from The Barcord (The Barocrd's music features on our CiaV animation). It was a pretty successful night given that we were all knackered, had done no promtion for the evening and the weather had been against us. Quite a few people stopped by, interested in what was going on, cars were slowing as they passed us and a French tv company even expressed an interest, so fingers crossed.

We called it a day at gone midnight and went to the Petit Magestic - one of THE places to go for drinks - absolutely rammed and seriously expensive - 21 euros for a rouns of 4 drinks - in a country where you can fill up a bottle of wine for 2 euros from the local supermarche! I was so tired by now I thought I was going to pass out standing up.

Getting home was, as is getting to be a habit, a nightmare. We got stuck behind bin men, then got lost again, having picked up Barcord James en route and dropping him in deepest darkest Cannes. We got home at gone 3, and all went straight to the land of zzzzzz's.

Cath xx