Walking the Cannes Film Festival is a surreal experience; I mean this is one of the biggest red carpets in the international film world. It was a dream come true and a very humbling moment.
I had the honour of walking the red carpet for “Aus dem Nichts” (In the Fade) by Fathi Akin starring Diane Kruger. Definitely the best movie I watched at the Cannes Film Festival.
Cameras are not allowed on the carpet, and after a rigorous security check I walked on the carpet with my colleagues and friends from West Africa while the cameras were flashing and the photographers yelling – but obviously not for me. I took a few moments to pose and a bunch of photographers took my pictures, but I shall probably never know where these photos went. The carpet was filled with media and guest trying to take pictures of their outfits and selfies by the Palais du Festival – But not for long… As a rule, once the main actors and actresses of the screening start arriving, the guards get busy steering the crowds into the Palais where the ushers are waiting to show everybody their seats. You would love to spend more time on the carpet but depending on the movie being shown it could be very short, and even if you are lucky surely not more than five minutes for a major screening like this.
It is really a short experience and most ordinary people sadly do not see the value of dressing for it anymore and would rather be clad in formal black and go straight in to watch the movie – which is fine. But as I see it, hundreds of people walk down that carpet with their hard earned tickets, clad to the nines and it’s only fair that everyone gets a chance in the ‘lime-light’ There is always a cool party happening in Cannes so no grand outfit is actually ‘wasted’.
I stood out in my blue dress and got a lot of compliments. My choice was simple – literally, I wanted a ‘safe’ choice, with a touch of African inspiration to represent in the best possible way where I came from. And this is how my outfit was conceived. As I left the Palais to walk to my residence across the street a friend of mine took these pictures next by an old church, which I shall cherish as a beautiful memory of an amazing experience.
Dress and Earrings from Couleur de Lune in Canne, Neckpiece is gifted
