Deauville draws a bevy of top-notch directors and stars at the showcase of American celluloid every September. Deauville is a rainy French town on the Normandy coast of English Channel where Allied forces launched their attack to set Europe free from the control of Nazis in 1944. The town is busy with horseracing, gambling and designer shopping almost throughout the year.
The Hollywood celluloid festival has breathed life into the air of this small French town for nearly thirty-four years. As one of the most illustrious movie events of France, it comes next to Cannes Film Festival. Deauville holds the event at the same time when the high-profile Toronto and Venice film festivals tale place.
This biggest Hollywood celluloid festival truly mirrors the international image of Deauville in the ten-day long event that experiences a crowd of about 55,000.
Carole Bouquet a French actor, designates the seat of the festival jury. This year she and others selected a line-up of 11 independent American films.
The prime attraction of the festival this year was the full display of the work by Spike Lee in his honor. Lee was about to present the European premiere of “Miracle at Santa Anna” his latest film. The movie is about the forgotten contribution of African-American soldiers to World War II. This year the festival displayed about 100 films. The section of “Uncle Sam Docs” featured US documentary classics. The featuring of Standard Operating Procedure by Errol Morris and the horrific photos from the US jail in Iraq was the best of them. The presentation of “Appaloosa a Western” by Ed Harris and VIggo Mortensen was another fetching attraction of the festival this year. Samuel L Jackson with Neil LaBute was expected for “LakeView Terrace”. It features the harassment of the racially mixed couple by an edgy cop that Jackson plays.
This year the festival was not studded with so many stars as in 2007. The 2007 festival had witnessed the honorary presence of Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Festival organizers are not bothered about the star power to illumine the festival.
The stars at the Deauville Film Festival were not put into the boundary of security restrictions. The stars felt comfortable while roaming around the town and jogging along the sandy beach.
By: Lelei LeLaulu
