Organized to celebrate the 15th OFF de Cannes anniversary, the July 14 Garden Party highlighted the exemplary work of Anne Gomis, founder of the Great International Web Contest, which has since brought together over 9,000 artists. Together with Alain Zirah, these two producers bring international visibility to talents from the film, writing, visual arts, music and fashion industries. To bring them from the local to the international level. By the way, the OFF de Cannes are finally on Wikipedia. A guarantee of seriousness and respectability.
From noon, this musical festival brought a bubble of authenticity with the explosion of colors of Brazilian dancers setting fire to the Palais Clement Massier (Ladies Glam United and then Lame d’Orient), the presence on the stage of female artists evoking Saint Germain des Près (Adelia Martins, then Francine Cazanobe), the flights of the Saori-Jo keyboard then Julianne (InFuzzion) allowed a demonstration of tap dance of the Swiss champion Angelo Borer (Crazy Feet) before the electro breakthrough (DJ Galaxy Cat).
The women were still in the spotlight with a fashion show composed of catwalks by a dozen designers supervised by Paulette Mouquet. Thus followed the creations from Abidjan (Emeline K) or Togo (Kombate Sylvanak), swimwear Amira Beautyful for Pretty Creation and bridal lingerie Ready Lady.
The Irish designer Asta Jakubson made a big impression by presenting, in exclusivity, her silver wire dresses, inspired by Joan of Arc. Designers and models were invited by all medias to pose for the event. The Sri Lankan stylist Enoka Fonseka received the OFF de Cannes Coup de Coeur Prize 2021 for her red dresses topped with flower crowns, also red. Women invaded the stage around the singer and guitarist Jean Marie Monteiro (Guinea-Bissau) then Bebert the hornet, the darling lent by Cyril Hanouna came to sing dressed as a bee.
The male artists also made their voices heard with the lyrical flights of baritone Richard Rittermann in excerpts from operas including Carmen and Turandot by Puccini. A wonderful voice!
Immediately joined by the Indian artist Raghunath Manet, one of the masters of the vina, the latter also offered a sacred dance from Pondicherry, the former French trading post from which were originated the Bayaderes.
The visual and sound designer Devy Man presented his latest compositions accompanied by the dances of Shigemi Sawa, who came directly from Japan, in traditional dress. Alain Zirah and Anne Gomis joined Bruno Chatelin, president of the international jury of the OFF de Cannes and founder of the Filmfestivals.com platform, to present the singer Riker Lynch.
Indylov came to bring love to the audience and gave way to the Old School guitar of Will Barber, the singer selected by Zazie in the season six of the French show The Voice. The writer Lionel Gnali then received the PACA Films Prize of the Cannes OFF for the book adaptable to cinema, from the former minister Roland Dumas for his book A broken destiny.
The event was followed live by four radios for Cannes, Marseille, Paris and Belgium. The meditated public attended the show of hypnosis of Olivier Gomis aka Magnetic which put to sleep one of the volunteers for a spectacular show. It was the right time in front of the cake of the pastry shop Sana Herbert the audience celebrate the 15th OFF de Cannes anniversary for the launching of the After-Party Color Dancing.
The party continued with the singer Malekoumsa, Saty Djellas, the presence of the sublime Miss Brazil, Barbara Vittorelli, with the unavoidable Stavroulla Nicolaou from Prestige Show Production, before a succession of DJ clubbing and a lot of people on the dancefloor….
Because of the pandemic, half a dozen members of the jury couldn’t come to France. The team was so sad of a bad connexion so they were not allowed to talk on Zoom to some of the jury members as Bench Bello & John Guarnes (Philippines), Anuschka van Andel (Netherland), Motalib Bellouk (Marroco), Deborah Jay Kelly (England), Jean Pierre Beulaygue (France). No matter. The ceremony is postponed to a later date, in September. All the organization and guests were so sorry. So, they will be happy to listen the songs of Maria Pangilinan(Japan) with the other jury members Stavroulla Nicolaou (Cyprus), Max Ricciardi (France), Michael Lopes Cardozo (Netherland), Ayse Top (Netherland), Angelo Borer (Swizzerland), Rachanaa jain (England), Asta Jakubson (Ireland), Aleah Leigh (England) and Corazon Ulgade Armenta (United States). The two presidents of the international jury Bruno Chatelin (France) and Olympia A. Gellini (USA) and te president of European jury Richard Guedj (France) will annonce the winners of the competition with the godfather Eliot Cohen (England).
Three days later, Julia Ducourneau received the Golden Palm from the Cannes Film Festival for her second movie Titanium. The president of the jury Spike Lee, provocative and committed, is certainly at the origin of this supreme prize that rewards the young director. The second victory offered to a female director, in 74 years. Next year will be the 75th Cannes Film Festival. But many will wait for the announcement of the events planned for the 2022 OFF de Cannes. But next event in September for the OFF de Cannes ceremony on Zoom, for the first time.
More information:
www.off-de-cannes.webs.com
Checkout the recent issue of Ganap Magazine: