Simran Gulati shares her Cannes experience

The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival came to an end on 25th May 2019.  The most glamorous invitation-only festival in the world along with the biggest film market happens in Cannes, France every year.

Last month we caught up with Simran Gulati and she told us about her journey and how she got to Cannes.  Today we follow up with Simran, who came back energized, driven and with purpose.

Indus Age sat down with our budding Actress once again; and here is what she had to say about her recent trip to Cannes Film Festival:

Welcome back Simran, how was your trip?

The trip was amazing!!  It was an awesome experience being part of Cannes Film Festival and being there and just soaking it all in.  I enjoyed Cannes as a city which is beautifully nestled on the French Rivera.  It has such nice culture, weather and friendly people that were so welcoming.

Sounds amazing. Take us through a day in your life at Cannes.

I can tell you each day was different.  Typically, the morning started off with seminars which were very interesting as there were various topics such as; art of story-telling, Q&A with directors launching their films at Cannes and learning how an idea comes to fruition& steps each one took before a movie hits the big screen.

There were heaps of networking opportunities at the film market where film professionals from all over the world come to showcase their work.  In the afternoon there were Independent film screenings that were nominated at the festival followed by after parties at sunset.  The evenings were jam packed with social events at the grand Le Majestic, Yacht parties, Fashion Shows, Villa parties, etc.  It truly was a marathon with so many events and parties that if you blinked, you could miss it all.

What were some of the top moments for you?

 I have so many unforgettable moments that I can recall.  The highlights would definitely be what Indian Cinema is doing globally.  Meeting some of the top film professionals from India and understanding their vision and how they cook things up in their brains was inspiring.  And, most girls dream to walk the ramp (which is an amazing feeling) and then some dream to walk the Red Carpet. What better place to walk the red carpet then Cannes Film Festival? It was a surreal feeling walking the red carpet for the screening of French film “LA GOMERA (de Corneliu PORUMBOIU)” during the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival; a black-tie and formal dress premiere that definitely lived up to the hype. It was truly the fanciest movie night possible – Walk the red carpet and watch a film in Cannes.

Who were some of the film industry professional you met at Cannes?

 There was plenty of talent around and the list included some of Hollywood’s top actors, as well as Bollywood.  Not to mention Screen Australia represented at Cannes and brought some of the best we have in Australia. I had the luxury to sit down with many of them. Firstly,it was an absolute pleasure to listen & learnfrom Australia’s Indian Cinema Guru and film maker; Anupama Sharma, who spoke at FICCI forum on International markets for Indian films.

Other notables were Actor KangnaRanuat, Singer/Composer AR Rahman, Actor Huma Qureshi, Actor Diana Penty, French Actress, Marion Cotillard, Actor Colin Firth,Director Madhu Bhandarkar, Film Critic & Journalist Anupama Chopra, Actor Tannishtha Chatterjee, Actor/Director Kashmeera Shah and many more.

What have you learned from the film festival now that you are back?

 I enjoyed meeting the people from the Film Industry and was inspired by their stories as well as attending seminars to learn how everything ties together before it’s presented to audiences worldwide. Australia has a strong support for diverse film people and was also part of Australians at Cannes. They also took me under their wing and taught me a lot and even now I am learning from them.  All this but most importantly, enjoyed and lived in the moment.

What is your next move now that you are back from Cannes?

 Cannes brought a lot of new opportunities that I will be assessing in the near future.  However, as I am still an aspiring actress, so I want to stay grounded and continue to learn and make the most of my opportunity.