Carey Ryan
Empathy is the Devil
Silent film with dance 12.5mins
www.empathyisthedevil.com
“witty, crisp and stylish” John Bennett, The Movie Waffler
I did 6 days in Cannes this year, and, although it is recommended to go for the entire market and festival, I can’t see how that could be done without some post-festival hospitalisation. There is no such thing as ‘pacing yourself’ here; it is a whirlwind of people, parties, movies, filmmakers, tourists, uber richies and eastern European hookers. Best conference that anyone could attend I reckon.
Because I produced Empathy myself, and don’t have a producer to help me ‘sell’, I did not partake in the market section of the festival, and I’m really happy with that decision. It’s not that I wouldn’t like to know about, and participate in, the market, but for my first Cannes, navigating the Palais and surrounds, meeting loads of filmmakers, critics and the occasional industry pro, was enough to digest. If I have another film soon, and a producer, I will definitely look at that side of the festival.
Here is a link to an interview I did for We Are Moving Stories, an online networking mag.
Dan Crestani as Otis
Here is the part of the review from The Movie Waffler where Empathy is mentioned:
On a lighter note, I’d like to give a shout-out to two first-time filmmakers who had short films that were shown as part of Cannes’ Short Film Corner. The first was the German filmmaking team of Cord Schmidt's and Korbinian Richter's Schnurlos Verschwunden, about a Skype business call gone horribly wrong; the second was Australian director Carey Ryan’s silent dance film Empathy Is the Devil. Both films were witty, crisp, and stylish. Keep an eye out for them if you have 15 minutes to spare.
Sally Wicks as Julia and Dan Crestani as Otis
And here is the entire Cannes review by John Bennett; it’s a great site, and he is sharp.
http://www.themoviewaffler.com/2016/05/cannes-2016-week-2-report-part-2.html#.V1rMWzfwzx4
Best ofs - Get comfy, this could go on.
The Red Carpet. This is the single most exciting thing to do, walk the red carpet, all dressed up, at an evening gala session. It feels magical, like a dream.
Red carpet with my Oscar statues, Pavel and Konstantin Kvatch
The Lumiere theatre seats over 2200, so just being in a theatre that size is an experience. All the protocols are fun as well… clap after each production company comes on screen, stand when the filmmakers come in, stand at the end and don’t stop clapping until they leave, no eating, no drinking (sleeping seems to be allowed, snoring is politely ignored)… it goes on and on and is all part of the tradition that is keeping grand cinema alive (albeit by the skin of its teeth) at this point. I don’t think it will survive so I’m glad I got somewhat involved while all the pomp and ceremony still exists.
It’s a different kinda worship over here
Even the church has Red Carpet!
Movies. These are some of the best films of the year and we got to see them first!
Standing in a queue for up to two hours to get into a film seems ludicrous here, especially if nine times out of ten you don’t get in!
But in Cannes it is all part of the day, and adds to the carnival atmosphere that exudes from all around the Palais. The chairs are really comfy once you get in anyway!
Le Petit Majestic (and other street trawled bars). We were told about the petit by Trish Lake and Pam Collis prior to the trip but I didn’t realise how popular it was until I went there a few times. Not much happens until about 11pm, but for the next three or so hours, it’s On! This is where I met the film critic John Bennett who gave my film a shout-out in his Cannes festival review. There are all sorts here, probably not a-list, but really good connections can be made. It’s a friendly and safe place to drink and talk to strangers.
Happy Hour at Short Film Corner
I adored meeting all the filmmakers here. Everyone is friendly, the ‘rugby-scrum’ of a bar line prior to 5pm is hilarious and fun. Everyone is passing out marketing material which is the perfect time to do the same. Plus, the drinks are free for two hours. This is very important as food and drinks are not cheap anywhere else.
Me and Myf King at Happy Hour
Empathy Money Boxes were a hit
Catching the local bus from Tourrades into town each morning (with mandatory hangover). This was great. Watching the locals going about their lives. It was really immersive and after a day or two became normal.
Standing room only day and night
Catching the local bus to Tourrades from town each night (mandatorily tipsy). These buses stop running before 2am most nights, so, 3 out of 6 nights I managed to miss it. One night I stayed with friends, one night I met some fabulous Filipinos who shared a taxi with me, and one night I took an Uber, which surprisingly wasn’t very expensive at all.
These fabulous little mobile charging lockers, found in the Tourist Office. Most people carry powerbanks these days, but I do not. I was out for a minimum of 15 hours per day, so being able to charge up was fantastic.
You open the door, plug in your phone, lock the door, take the key with you, and return when you like!
Brilliant.
Parties. I only went to one of these I think, at the London Pavilion. London Film School were throwing a party there and they were all really fun and gracious guys (considering they had a very impressive list of achievements, including Oscars, Sundance and Cannes wins). Loads of fun and I handed out lots of my marketing ‘Empathy money boxes’ that everyone thought were really cute. If I go back, I will really sniff around for more invites to parties, you get to speak to people for longer and they generally have special guests that there May be a chance of meeting.
London Film School guys spreading Empathy
Strolling La Croisette.
People gazing?
Appreciating art?
Looking for a $100,000 watch? Lost and trying to find a screening Somewhere near the Marriot?
Desperate to get on a boat party?
Me and Myf not even Close to getting on a liner
THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE
Griffith Film School crew Near a Boat!
Bread, cheese and wine. Even the shitty stuff from the supermarket tastes so good. Bread is especially beautiful and there are cheap Boulangeries everywhere.
The beach is fantastic as well. When it all got a bit much, I would head to the beach and look at the blue blue water. It’s so blue. Beautiful.
Top Ten Tips and Tricks for Surviving Cannes
1 Always open with French. Even if you only say Bonjour, bonsoir, and merci beaucoup. My general MO was to say “Bonjour! Excusez moi, parlez vous Anglais?” to which the response was generally, “Of course!” You are then good to go. Also, “Je suis désolé”, if you do something wrong or fuck up, it melts their hearts, seriously.
2 Happy Hour at Short Film Corner. Not to be missed! This is where you meet all other people who are exactly like you, only with different accents! Plus it’s a brilliant opportunity to corner your new best friends, whip out your ipad, and torture them into watching your movie!
Pavel and Konstantin loving Empathy
3 All cops and omnipresent military are good looking
Try not to trip over while perving!
Drinking is for everyone at Cannes!
4 Hold onto your Market Badge!
If you don’t want to wear it to gala screenings, put it somewhere safe, NOT in your overstuffed bag that you keep having to empty at 30,000 security checkpoints. The 40 Euro replacement fee is not fun, particularly if it’s your last day!! It was, however, easy to do, so if you do lose it, don’t panic, you can just pay to get another.
5 Get a map and figure out the main landmarks, it will save you hours. Even if you use google maps or maps, cos they often get confused. It’s just easier if you use a map as a general guide.
6b For men: Buy a tux, don’t rent one. The expense is an investment as you’ll spend a lot of time wearing it, mostly so you don’t have to go home and change if you get into a gala screening. Here is some advice from a well-dressed New Zealander I befriended at Cannes “Get two good quality white shirts for the tux. One can be drying in the shower while you wear the other one.” Easy!
6a For Women: Heels are essential for gala screenings and most parties.
Don’t wear them when you don’t need to
Save your feet!
7 Both: Invest in good shoes, both walking and snazzy varieties
Buy early, wear them in!! Take a good stack of expensive bandaids, the ones that actually work. Strap your feet prior to getting pain and blisters and you are set.
Pain can and shall be ignored
8 Talk to any and everyone, the American pavilion is good for this. You never know what contacts you might make. Can’t speak for smaller market pavs but apparently they are great too.
9 Don’t panic about not sleeping, you can do that at home. I averaged 4 hours per night for 15 days and I’m not dead. Or grab a quick kip in a movie, like I did in Elle.
10 Don’t pack too much. I took enough clothes that I didn’t wear the same thing twice for 15 days! Ridiculous. Most hotels have a drying area; all hotels have a towel rack. Recycle clothes every few days.
THAT’S IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
