Festivals

What is the proper word? Falicia? Vibender? Does it matter? On the second day on the Lido the Light was on the red carpet, and the fans found it very good. Golden Globe nominees Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender - who met and became an item on the set of Derek Cianfrance's The Light Between Oceans - were everywhere as their film screened in competition- followed closely by Golden Globe winner Amy Adams and Golden Globe nominee Jeremy Renner, stars of Denis Villeneuve's Arrival, and Lido veteran Wim Wenders, his excellent sneaker collection and his The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez.

It's hot, humid and gorgeous - on the brink of Fall the Lido island, the easternmost on the Venice lagoon, bordering the Adriatic Sea on its outer shore, becomes a cinema hub of major importance. The oldest film festival in existence, Venice had the ups and downs to be expected in any long career.

The dominant trend was embroidered, embossed and beaded gowns in neutrals and black that stunned. Models appeared in hoards – they stood out in a crowd for being barely clothed and not smiling.

The jury has convened, the Marché has wrapped up, and most celebrities have hopped on their yachts and private jets. Awards have been trickling in: Un Certain Regard chose a Finnish boxing drama and an actor-turned-director; the International Federation of Film Critics awarded the prize for competition films to Toni Erdmann – already a favorite for the Palme D’Or –and the nod for non-competition entries to the Romanian Dogs, shown in Un Certain Regard; and last but certainly not least, the Palm Dog for best canine performance went to Nellie, the English bulldog who played opposite Adam Driver in Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson (sadly, Nellie passed away a few weeks back, making her Palm Dog the first to be awarded posthumously).

A new batch of awards was announced, the last films in competition were screened and the jury was honored with a lunch offered by the Cannes mayor. But everyone wanted to talk about the 23rd amfAR gala held at the exclusive, secluded and luxurious Hotel du Cap, to raise funds for AIDS research.

Only a couple of days left before the main prizes are awarded, tents are taken down and the movie circus leaves town.   The future beyond the Palais all of a sudden becomes urgent.

And then suddenly all the films, all the directors and all the discussions were somehow put aside. Because of a dress.

The dire early predictions of rain turned out to be widely exaggerated, and the weather has been mostly resplendent during the Cannes Festival; but having Riley Keough stop by the HFPA lounge is truly a ray of sunshine. The 27-year old actress -who was seen on the Palais big screen last year as one of the fugitive wives in Mad Max: Fury Road and is currently on the small screen in the Starz series The Girlfriend Experience - is back in Cannes with a remarkable supporting turn in Andrea Arnold’s American Honey.

See more on Loving.

The sun is shining on Cannes despite predictions of a soggy first week. While much work is being done, when the stars emerge to promote their movies sophisticatedly crafted bling catches the spotlights.