A Starry Night in Antipodean France
St. Tropez
He approached, swathed in a black leather jacket and jeans, his hair gelled back and a glass of champers in his hand. Ben Mendelsohn, Australian movie star extraodinaire was coming my way. I pushed myself into his path, blushed and stammered “Sorry for interrupting your conversation earlier” (because I had, rudely whisking his chatting partner away).
“That’s OK,” he replied, sticking out his hand. “I’m Ben.”
We shake hands, and I have to repeat my name several times before he understands my stutterings. The conversation gets rolling, I tell him how much I enjoyed his work in the Aussie miniseries Cat and St Jude, Get a Life! and how I used to watch it back home with my mum every Friday night – my cool, sophisticated charade quickly shatters. We chat for a few minutes before he says something about needing to practise his speech for later and disappears. So endeth my chance of marrying a movie star… sigh.
It was my first night at the Third Annual Festival of the Cinema of the Antipodes (i.e. Australia and New Zealand), in St. Tropez, France.
The festival is (obviously) a yearly event, held around the third week of October in the charming Provincial town, St Tropez. It has in previous years attracted big-name stars from both Oceana and the host country of France, and this year the quality of the celebrities was no different.
Those in attendance included: Ben Mendelsohn (actor: Mullet), Ray Argall (director: Return Home) and Patricia Lovell (producer: Picnic at Hanging Rock), as well as political figures such as the Australian ambassador to France William Fisher and Ex-French Prime Minister Michel Rocard (due to reasons of security following September 11, some invited guests were unable to attend). The films featured included the above, as well as Yolngu Boy, UTU, Legally Blonde, One Night the Moon, Magik and Rose, Better Than Sex, and various short films from both Australia and New Zealand. Also featured in the festival were expositions by various artists including Australian painter Peter Griffin and French photographer/painter Stéphane Korb.
The event is organised by Bernard Bories, who developed his passion for Australian cinema over 20 years ago with the viewing of Picnic at Hanging Rock. This film was a special feature this year, presented by its producer, Patricia Lovell. Picnic also took home the prize for best film at the festival, the director’s cut being shown for the first time in France.
Also presented by a member of its team was the film Mullet, which was introduced by the film’s leading actor, Ben Mendelsohn. He and fellow castmate, Susie Porter (also featured in the festival in the film Better than Sex) were awarded the prizes for the festival’s best actor and actress.
The Festival of the Cinema of the Antipodes has a wonderfully friendly atmosphere. The coastal, glamorous town of St. Tropez provides a nice backdrop, and as the festival this year was a modest event, the audience had the opportunity to interact with the stars. This down-to-earth attitude makes the festival a welcome addition to any travel itinerary. Although the town is by no means cheap, being a haven for the rich and famous, you can still have fun on a budget. There are plenty of supermarkets and fresh produce markets for those on a budget, and even sandwich shops open 24 hours a day – a rarity in France.
A weekend visit is highly recommended, if only for the beautiful buildings typical of the region, the peaceful port, window shopping (Gucci, Prada, Dior, names names names, dahling!) and unbelievably expensive carspotting. The people of the town are very friendly, and while used to foreigners, they have worked hard to avoid touristic overload and keep their town authentic. You will be surprised by how small St. Tropez is. Of course, being the south of France (around three and a half hours from Paris by TGV), the weather remains relatively mild year-round, and the area is known for its beaches. So, if you are thinking of travelling to France around October next year, be sure to make a stop in St Tropez for the festival – you won’t be disappointed.
