Commentary by Randy Davidson, Founder & CEO
The below commentary is originally from the daily posts on LinkedIn about our events and programming at Cannes. To see more, follow our company LinkedIn and Instagram for reels, images and more.
Day 1 Cannes – a true marketplace. We spent so much time gathering badges, scouting the FilmUSA and American Pavilion, our rooftop event spot and cruising the Marché.
Early notes:
— More contained than I expected. Sensory overload no doubt but its smartly laid out to know where you need to be. Everything is along the beach and up into the beautiful city of Cannes.
— I’m wearing a Georgia Entertainment shirt and we have been stopped to chat as they recognized the brand. People are very interested in America and I think more and more specifically Georgia. The state has a positive reputation around the globe.
— There’s major commerce and transactions taking place here. The funders, investors, directors and serious players are at the festival. Other countries, states and communities are here. Studios are here pitching as well.
We are glad to be here and thankful to those that support this initiative. Day one pictures here.
Day 2 Cannes: Megalopolis (and Georgia) everywhere 🍑 – The sun was finally out most of the day and the crowds are coming in strong. Tomorrow and through the weekend the schedule looks to be super busy with meetings and events for us and our partners.
We are so happy to have the La Plage Du Festival Beach Club pass. This along with Film USA and the American Pavilion pass really compliment the festival for those conducting business. We posted a live Instagram today from the Beach Club showing the lay out of the festival. See the link here.
Megalopolis has Cannes going wild. They were lining up hours before the premier and luxury cars and security were moving through dedicated streets seemingly only for the VIPS. The whole main cast was in attendance tonight and a standing ovation when they walked into the theatre. Day two pictures here.
Day 3 Cannes: Rooftop VIP Soirée – The Georgia themed drinks, Georgia playlist and Georgia brands were on full display to a crowd of filmmakers and storytellers from around the world today.
We were so honored to engage about Georgia’s workforce, infrastructure and professional services. From my conversations the topic of the state’s maturity in film and entertainment was a key point of interest. Sometimes we assume people know about our depth and breadth – so events beyond Georgia are very important. See the live instagram here. See more pictures of day 3 here.
Day 4 Cannes – Brunch, Panels and VIP Social – This was our busiest day of the festival. The different locations and presentation formats proved very successful.
The day started with a peach themed brunch at the American Pavilion. The Heart of the Peach program presented by Fulton Films featured Deborah Riley Draper. She spoke about her long career in film and how Fulton and Georgia have been key to her success.
The afternoon programming at the Film USA pavilion was packed for our Throughout Georgia USA and Made with Georgia USA panels. A networking social followed the panels. See the live instagram here. See more pictures of day 4 here.
Winding Down Cannes: Reinforced Concepts and Thoughts – As we head back to Georgia, I want to share a few thoughts about the experience. We have so much more to share in the coming days.
– We all know that technology is changing the process of filmmaking and production. Technology on the whole is changing how stories are told. Cannes was the place to see this with a global lens.
– Cannes illustrated how the decentralization and removal of virtual and real boundaries has impacted storytelling and scripts. The ability to do more with less and include others in this creation process is an incredible opportunity on the front end.
– The best scripts and stories will continue to win, but success is measured differently because filmmakers don’t have to make films for the masses. People are comfortable with success within topic/interest lanes. Investors are falling in line.
– On the worldwide stage, convergence is everywhere. Fashion brands are producers – gaming IP, music, VFX, professional services, and other areas of the creative industries supply chain are layering and intertwining in unique ways.
– Our mission to promote Georgia’s locations, incentive, sound stages, workforce and stance on the creative industries was unique by all accounts at the festival. We are positioned on a global stage to continue this special momentum.
– Thank you to our partners. New relationships. Leads. Unique Branding. See more pictures here.
Our ‘From Script to Screen’ events at Cannes were presented in partnership with LumaLogic, Discover Dekalb, DexMob VFX, Debra Johnston of Coldwell Banker, Fulton Films, Star Forest Entertainment, Meptik, Film Columbus GA, ICP, Explore Gwinnett, South Georgia Studios, Film Savannah, Georgia Film Academy, Athens Film Vertical Initiative and Michelin | Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
