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At first, spending two weeks every spring on the French Riviera, basking in the sun and hobnobbing with celebrities at the Cannes Film Festival, sounds like a vacation.
Not quite, said Kyle Buchanan, who covers the Hollywood awards season for The New York Times — though the work is, he acknowledges, rather glamorous.
“You’re at beach clubs in the South of France, and sometimes you’re on a boat or at a chateau,” Mr. Buchanan said. He has covered the festival, which takes place in theaters across the city of Cannes each May, since 2013. “Everyone is in tuxedos with undone bow ties, and the women are in couture, and you hear the clomp, clomp, clomp of those heels on the stone. It’s magical.”
On the other hand, it’s an essential part of his job and comes with high stakes: Many of the films in the lineup will go on to score Oscar nominations.
“It’s useful to me, from an Oscars standpoint, to see these films that are going to start really adding dimension and structure and excitement to the rest of the race,” Mr. Buchanan said. He will see several dozen movies over the 12 days of the festival, which runs from May 12 to 23 this year.
In an interview this month before heading off to France, Mr. Buchanan shared how he strategizes for his movie viewings and interviews, as well as the films he is most looking forward to seeing. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
What is a typical day during the festival like for you?
Essentially, you’re writing something every day with a minimum of free time and sleep. You’re trying to see as many movies as you can, going to events and parties, doing interviews and somehow writing about those things, even though the premieres and parties spill late into the night, and the screenings start early in the morning.
How does it shape your reporting for the rest of the year?
Film festivals are where the buzz begins for a vast majority of the films that go on to be Oscar contenders. At Cannes, there are often a lot of acclaimed veteran directors in the mix. But then you’ll also have things that pop, like “Anatomy of a Fall” or “Anora,” that go on to be major Oscar contenders that few had seen coming.
Cannes is famous for its strict, black-tie dress code for evening gala screenings. Is that enforced?
If you show up in anything other than a tuxedo, they are not afraid to turn you away. I know of an actor-producer who was one of the big names behind a fairly big movie there, probably over a decade ago. He showed up in a bolo tie instead of a bow tie. They said, I’m sorry, we can’t let you in. He’s like, This is my movie. And they said, Well, Gucci’s across the street. They made him go and buy an actual bow tie.
What is the value of covering the parties?
I’m interested to see who wants to make what sort of splash, and how they want to frame it in Hollywood. An A.I. company throwing a big party at Cannes is indicative of something. There’s an expectation of how A.I. will encroach upon Hollywood and potentially put a lot of people out of business. So to see an A.I. company spend lavishly at one of the most lavish hotels in one of the most lavish places on Earth sends an interesting message.
What films are you most looking forward to seeing?
I’ve heard really good things about the performances in “The Man I Love” from Ira Sachs, who’s one of the few American auteurs in competition. I’m also really curious about a film called “The Unknown.” The director is Arthur Harari, who co-wrote “Anatomy of a Fall.” It has a really hooky premise and is based on a graphic novel about a womanizer who sleeps with his one-night stand and wakes up the next day in her body.
How many hours of sleep are you getting a night during the festival?
Four to five is typical. That’s not good, obviously. But it’s a testament to good filmmaking that I could be tired, wrecked, sick, but if something’s a masterpiece, I forget all that for two hours.
What’s your go-to snack?
I practically have an IV drip of Red Bull. I’m also having a lot of French deli meats and baguettes.
What’s a favorite Cannes memory?
I remember going to a party at the Hotel du Cap once, and DiCaprio was there with his posse of friends. There was this one guy who insisted to me that he himself was an alien and, honestly, he made a really good case for it. He said that his name was Sorry — or at least that was the English phonetic way to pronounce it. He took offense anytime anyone would ever say, I’m sorry, because he’s like, I’m Sorry. He talked my ear off for an hour about how he was an alien visitor.
