The speaker, a photographer and aspiring filmmaker, believed that attending Cannes with their own film was the proper way to engage with the festival, rather than taking commercial photography jobs there.
The speaker was lured to Cannes with the promise of tickets to a Woody Allen film premiere but ended up being asked to photograph a fake 'Cannes Film Festival China Screening Unit' event, which was essentially a scam to help mediocre films and filmmakers falsely claim Cannes participation.
The speaker described Cannes as overwhelmingly commercial, with many attendees more focused on networking, self-promotion, and capturing social media moments than on the films themselves. The festival was crowded with celebrities, influencers, and businesspeople, creating a chaotic and superficial environment.
The speaker found the films at the fake event to be of extremely poor quality, including exploitative documentaries, amateur student projects, and outdated works. They were critical of the filmmakers who used the event to falsely enhance their reputations and secure funding back in China.
The speaker noted that attendees at the fake event were highly focused on appearances and social media, with many posing for photos and networking aggressively. The event organizers even used a fake Cannes logo to create the illusion of legitimacy, and attendees drank cheap sparkling wine while pretending it was champagne.