Cannes, France – The French Riviera is one of the most photogenic places on the planet. At the Cannes Film Festival, the magnificent Art Deco architecture and the placid beaches were dotted with celebrities and common people, dressed in the nine to attend the first Ritzy.
I expected to see an influencer yachtload. Why could I not find it?
I went hunting: my first stop after landing in Nice was the hotel of Cap-Eden-Roc, a luxury hotel by the sea, in Cap d’Antibes Voisine, where Sofia Richie had her wedding. I had lunch – a buffet of € 105 – with the most instagrammable imaginable view, overlooking a swimming pool filled with shiny white umbrellas which gave a large blue bay. However, I have not seen a single influencer. Just a lot of rich people.
“Are you going to the festival today?” A rich businessman, the genre who says he “is unleashed and that” as the character of Walton Goggins The white lotus, said to his friend, who was just Dubai. “Why would you like to leave this place?” The friend answered.
Their much younger companions have debated if they wanted white wine or red, and they recommend staying in Monaco for three days or five. One of the women, who wore her hair in a tight bun and wore high pink heels, explained that his partner had a difficult week because he “had to shoot a bunch of people”. They were just rich wealthy when they heard, not influencers.
Full of sofas and salted fish, I went to the Legendary hotel gateway, Where an emblematic photo of Harrison Ford was taken in 1982. There was not a single fantasy person in sight – just me. A few days later, A-Listers and Cannes featured Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal would parody the photo of Ford. Even in the spaces most suitable for the Instagram, celebrities were clearly more numerous than influencers.
In the coming days, I have gone to the influence of the hot points of the noted influence that seek to find the scientist of social media in places where I was surely thought of: slamming selfies in glamorous hotels, showing their outfits on idyllic beaches and scrolling their calendars in exclusive restaurants. Dear people were all around me, but none was impatient to publish. Dozens of fans have lined up with cameras and pens outside the Marriott where I carried out interviews for The Phoenician ProgramBut they weren’t there to locate social media stars. They wanted to see a celebrity. All celebrity would do the trick.
Although I was surprised to find myself in a territory without influence, the French film festival is apparently one of the last places where social media behavior is disapproved. I couldn’t even get a selfie on the steps in red tapping for a first that I had a hard -disputed ticket without having my phone out of my hand by a security goalkeeper. They flanked all the other steps of the theater on both sides. It is by design.
Sarah Schmidt, An expert from the celebrity and influencer brandtold Yahoo Entertainment that “Cannes is one of the last major cultural events that have not become entirely digital.”
“This is what makes it emblematic-but it is also what makes it incompatible with the functioning of most creators. There is no general admission, no integration of creators and no crossover of the integrated public. It works on rarity and tradition,” she explained. “And that’s exactly why the (return on investment) for influencers is so low. You can spend ten large ones to get there and leave with some pretty photos and a tired legend of” feeling honored “.”
Schmidt said influencers are “accessories, not initiates”. If they are there, they were invited by a luxury brand or a social media company.
“Cannes celebrates Art-Maison cinema, world authors and prestigious narration. The event is not designed to stimulate viral content, “she said. “The red carpet is beautiful, yes, but the substance does not connect.”
Cannes, ultimately, is a “cinematographic sanctuary – a place intentionally out of synchronized with the energy that has driven the algorithm of the creator’s economy,” said Entertainment Megan Balyk, vice -president of Jive Pr & Digital.
“It is not that influencers are not cool enough for Cannes-it is that Cannes, with its velvet strings and its elite profile, remains deeply rooted in the talent and artistic talent of the film,” she said. “It is not constructed for (influencers), and honestly, it is the beauty of this one. In a world where each event tries to be everything for everyone, there is something quietly radical in a festival which knows exactly who it is and to whom it is. It is not an exclusion; it is intentionality.”
In my quest to find influencers on the ground, I heard that Tiktok had brought some of its creators to the Croisette. The application of social media was One of the official festival partnersSo the creators had excellent access – some spoke to Denzel Washington on the red carpet, and some met Tom Cruise.
“The creators they highlight are obsessed with the film, not only obsessed with the content – a subtle but important distinction,” said Balyk.
I was kindly invited to the Tiktok Creator Show, where I saw many familiar Filmtok faces, a community of movie lovers on the platform, growled with each other in an airy and luxurious space with a bar. I spoke with Zainab JiwaWho said that his goal was to ensure that his audience, 590,000 followers on Tiktok, felt at the festival with her. She wants to make the prestigious festival more accessible.
“It’s crazy, isn’t it? I’m hitting me every few minutes that I’m here, because we all know that Cannes is a film festival-high caliber stuff. This is a big problem,” she said. “You need certain things to be here. But you are also surrounded by so many industry creatives and you are inspired by everyone you meet. You talk to people, so you say to yourself:” I need to do something! NOW! “”
Jiwa’s energy was contagious. She was delighted to be on the Croisette – she was particularly delighted to see early projections and take discussions with directors on the beach – but even more delighted to share with her audience how they could follow her traces
“Be passionate and say yes to everything,” she advised. “If you’re not passionate, what is it for?”
When I met Jiwa and his colleagues creating the show, they were all preparing to go to a screening for Wait, your car?A short film written and directed by the designer of Tiktok Reece Feldman, also known as @Guywithamoviecamera. He made a name for himself sharing his experience as a production assistant in the entertainment industry, and now he uses his platform to make his own films.
“As a movie amateur, (being in Cannes) is like a dream. You are just surrounded by people who love films, and everyone has opinions, and it’s good to speak this universal language with everyone whatever their real language,” Feldman told Yahoo Entertainment. “It doesn’t hurt it’s the prettiest place on the planet.”
He said it was an immense honor to have his short screening on the Croisette – and people “laughed where I wanted them to laugh.”
“The theater was not big enough to host everyone, which upsets me, but also just in a diverted way, as if I look at a half full glass, that I am, wow, what a privilege that people want to look at something I did – the first thing I did,” said Feldman.
Feldman got involved in celebrities on the red carpet with Oscars and Met Gala. When he goes to these exclusive places, he always thinks: “What is a cool and fun thing that I can show from this point of view?”
Reece Feldman at the Cannes Film Festival. (Kristy Sparow / Getty images)
As a testimony to the way he still thinks of his audience, he asked if I wanted a film recommendation when I told him I felt sick. He recommended two films by his favorite French filmmaker, Eric Rohmer – The green radius And A summer story – And Mr. Bean’s holidayswhich is largely located in Cannes.
While manufacturers of full tastes, creators known for their film recommendations and access to industry events are different from what people might think when the word “influencer” is pronounced aloud.
Rebecca Whitlocke, a specialist in public relations based on French Riviera, told Yahoo Entertainment that “the public that follows the influencers of moviegoers is there for criticisms and domestic advice on production and the film industry in general; They are not as obsessed with the “famous” or “known” influencer.
Evan Wray, who directs the strategy at Influencer Marketing Company later, told Yahoo Entertainment that influencers were generally not part of “celebrity and moviegoers … World unless they cross cinematographic or entertainment journalism”.
“The real problem is the king. What is the opportunity for content? A red carpet photo? This does not stimulate commitment or sales,” said Wray. “For creators, time is a currency. If that does not lead to growth or better brand offers, it’s just a Flex.”
Influencers aspiring to publish on the magnificent beaches of the French Riviera only have to wait a few weeks before it is time to shine. Cannes Lions, an annual creativity festival, takes place in the same theaters and stages in mid-June, but it highlights the creator’s economy rather than in the entertainment industry.
“At Lions, the creators are the stars. At the film festival, they are in nose bleeding,” said Wray.
Given that the two experiences of Cannes are so radically divided, the celebrities of the film Festival are free from thatch of influence to bask in their fame, shaking the hand of influencers who love their profession.
The Cannes Film Festival could be one of the last places really safe for celebrities to separate from content creators, safe in their traditional celebrity silos. That is to say for the moment.