Connectivity is a bipolar affair at the Cannes Film
Festival. Everyone seems to share
the same challenges. Upon arrival at Cannes it’s a struggle to find free WiFi, which
is a must since those of us outside of France must turn off our roaming or pay
dearly. Managing the different
passwords for the almost 100 international tents, the Marche, the Riveria and
our own hotels or apartments all become basically meaningless because at the
end of the day even with a back up battery e.g. Mophie we all run out of power
long before anticipated. The other aspect to the connectivity challenge is finding
power for our phones and laptops.
It’s a daily struggle. If I had
38% I felt rich. I felt like I was going to have a good day, receive
texts, take pictures and make calls to my next meetings to inform them I would
be late due to the red carpet closures and crowded streets or pouring rain. I had 52 meetings and was only late for a few. Everyone was
late for everything. But despite it all the real
connecting was not in our devices but in the people. I met incredible people and formed meaningful connections. We talked about our shared missions and challenges
in this rapidly changing film industry. It was a privilege to be immersed in a
sea of filmmakers and film lovers. I was grateful to be on panels. I learned
from each of them. It thrills me
to see the film industry stepping up and changing. A major shift is underfoot and its because we are sharing and truly connecting but is it an evolution or a revolution?