Cannes Film Festival
In Cannes, not everyone climbs the red carpet. That was exactly my case when, in 2018 and then again in 2019, I had the chance to photograph the city during its famous festival. The first time on assignment, the second as a tourist — a quiet observer of the spectacle.
At that time of year, the whole city pulses with the rhythm of the festival. Far from the official red carpet, a multitude of scenes unfold: fleeting glances, improvised poses, gowns brushing against asphalt, and finery blending into the crowd. In these images, luxury meets the mundane, and glamour brushes up against daily life. It was never about photographing celebrities, but about capturing the urban choreography that takes over Cannes each May — a theatre of aspirations and emerging ambitions.
Behind the sunglasses, the flowing dresses and tailored tuxedos, lies a restless humanity — caught between desire, anticipation and performance. The yachts are moored, vintage cars glide by, but it’s in the subtle gestures, the overlooked details, the wide frames, that the true atmosphere of the festival reveals itself.
This street and documentary photo series, shot in 2018 and 2019, explores those in-between moments — this open-air backstage where everyone seems to play a part without a script. The aim isn’t to judge, but to document this curious collective performance — somewhere between extravagance and illusion, between projected dreams and shared reality.
