By Janet Susan R. Nepales
On and Off the Red Carpet

Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, Denzel Washington, and Leonardo DiCaprio were just a few of the Hollywood stars who took over the red carpet at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

Filipino filmmakers and talent shared the limelight as well with their Hollywood counterparts at the Promenade de la Croisette.

Award-winning auteur Lav Diaz led the Philippine delegation as he presented the world premiere of his Gael Garcia Bernal-historical film, Magellan.

We were excited to see young filmmakers Arvin Belarmino, Kyla Romero, and Kristine de Leon bring not one, but two, short films to Cannes as nominees – “Agapito” and “Ali” – with the latter even winning the Special Mention Award in the Short Film Category.

A collaboration between the Philippines and Bangladesh, “Ali” was directed by Adnan Al Rajeev, who, during the press conference, expressed his gratitude to the Philippine team – Belarmino and Romero, who scripted the short, and De Leon, who produced the film.

Patroness of the arts and former supermodel Tetta Agustin and her husband Christian Baverey graciously opened their palatial home in Cannes for dinner to the young Filipino filmmakers, blessing and wishing them well.

This year’s Cannes was also extra special for us since our older daughter, Bianca Nicole Nepales, former Vice President of Lionsgate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, spoke at three panels and moderated one. She participated in the China Forum on Women’s Involvement in Film, AfriCannes, and Women in Film and Diversity & Inclusion in Film Festival forum.

Several Golden Globe voters and members, of which my husband Ruben and I are part of, participated in the Variety and Golden Globe annual gala events in Cannes where awards were handed out to outstanding and promising talent and filmmakers.

We were also proud of producers Alemberg Ang and Sylvia Sanchez whose Chie Hayakawa-helmed film Renoir was shortlisted for the main competition.

Producers Sonia Delen, Wendy Pascual, and Radi Calalang also proudly screened their documentary, “The Road to Sydney,” which narrates the dramatic and emotional journey of Sydney Loyola when she transitioned from a man to a woman. Directed by Benito Bautista, the movie tells how Filipino master choreographer Sydney Loyola found refuge from discrimination and bullying in her passion for dance. Now, she is on a journey to confront and heal from her past and present challenges as she embraces her identity as a trans woman, including her goal of reconnecting with her estranged father.

One of the highlights of this year’s Cannes was the bombastic and very political acceptance speech of Robert De Niro, 81, who received the Palme d’Or lifetime achievement award from Leonardo DiCaprio.

He said, “In my country, we are fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted. That affects all of us here, because the arts are democratic, art is inclusive and brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity, and that’s why art is a threat.”

He added, “You can’t put a price on creativity, but apparently you can put a tariff on it. Of course, this is unacceptable. All of these attacks are unacceptable.”

Opening the festival officially was award-winning director Quentin Tarantino, who even dramatically dropped the mic after his dialogue.

The jury of the 78th Festival de Cannes, chaired by French actress Juliette Binoche, surrounded by American actress and filmmaker Halle Berry, Indian director and screenwriter Payal Kapadia, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, French-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani, Congolese director, documentarist, and producer Dieudo Hamadi, Korean director and screenwriter Hong Sangsoo, Mexican director, screenwriter, and producer Carlos Reygadas, and American actor Jeremy Strong, presented its winners’ list among the 22 films presented in competition this year.

Winning the coveted Palme d’Or award was Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident while Joachim Trier’s comedy drama, Sentimental Value, starring Stellan Skarsgard and Elle Fanning, won the Grand Prix award.

Other notable films that we saw are the drama Alpha directed by Julia Ducournau and starring Melissa Boros and Tahar Rahim, Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and ASAP Rocky with cinematography by Fil-Am Matthew Libatique, Wes Anderson’s star-studded The Phoenician Scheme that features Benicio del Toro, Scarlett Johansson, and Benedict Cumberbatch, Die, My Love starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, Eddington starring Joaquin Phoenix, Austin Butler, Emma Stone, and Pedro Pascal, Father, Mother, Sister, Brother starring Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver, Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut The Chronology of Water, among others.

We can’t wait to be back at the Croisette next year.