As the Cannes Film Festival kicked off on the Mediterranean, the French town of Castelmaurou celebrated the 9th edition of its own film festival, a smaller version of the original Cannes. The event was held at a small cinema theater, whose owners seek to bring people some happiness by making them feel like they are attending the world’s biggest cinema event with all the cameras, lights, and media.
Castelmaurou is located near the city of Toulouse, southern France. Its residences believe that is if they can’t go to the red carpet, the red carpet should come to them. For this purpose, the civil association running the Méliès theater laid a red carpet at the hall’s entrance and invited local photographers to take photos of the guests.
The event was attended by 200 people, men wore rented tuxedos, and women wore evening dresses accessorized with real or fake jewels. They walked slowly, stood in front of the cameras, and waved like A-list stars.
Inside, a big screen displayed the opening ceremony of the 75th edition of the real Cannes Festival, and the spectators applauded for the real stars like if they were actually in Cannes. Later that evening, they all gathered outdoor to enjoy the warm summer weather that arrived early this year.
The mini-Cannes concept was carried out by 50 volunteers of cinema fans, who started working early on the event’s day. They hanged banners, decorated the cinema’s entrance with palms and flowers, and dusted off the screen’s curtain to give the spectators a delightful illusion. They also laid a red carpet to create an ambiance of fame and luxury, as many believe: “I walk on the red carpet, that means I exist.”
