- 21
- May
- 2025
When the lights go down, another film begins. This is the realm of private soirées, closed-door conversations and glasses raised in multiple languages, where ideas are tested, projects take shape and sometimes, great films quietly come to life.
It’s easy to assume that Cannes winds down after the last screening, that the gowns are packed away and everything fades into the next day’s headlines. But that’s a misconception of the true rhythm of the Croisette. After 8 PM, a different atmosphere takes over. A cinema without screens, yet one where everything can begin.
This parallel cinema has its own venues: exclusive rooftops, private beaches and intimate hotel lounges. It’s not just about socializing, it’s a quiet space where the films of tomorrow are gently conceived. In these moments, projects are born, ideas converge and occasionally, personalities are revealed.
At the Majestic hotel, a terrace overlooks the bay. A Japanese filmmaker exchanges ideas with a young Lebanese producer, while just at a few tables away, an actress listens as an American agent talks about a role “not to be missed.” Nothing is signed, everything is suggested. Here, cinema is a malleable substance, shaped between two glasses of champagne.
Some of these exchanges may last only an evening, but others leave a lasting impact. It only takes a gesture, a whispered sentence or a phone number scribbled on a napkin. This is how, in 2014, the producer of Moonlight found financial support at a dinner hosted by a Brazilian distributor. Three years later, the film won the Oscar.
Hayley Atwell and other cast members applaud as Tom Cruise embraces Christopher McQuarrie. © Antonin THUILLIER/AFP
After 8 PM, there’s no more red carpet in Cannes, but the rules remain. One must know how to enter, speak sparingly and observe keenly. It’s a delicate game. Some get lost in it, while others feel comfortable. And sometimes, they even find a partner… or the spark of a new film.
The Real Sparks
At Villa Forbes, one of the busiest spots outside the festival, stars are rare. What you’ll find instead are programmers, young directors, editors and screenwriters, all gathered not to discuss finished films, but the ones they dream of creating. Phrases like “a film between Almodóvar and Andrea Arnold” or “a family story, but without the drama” are common. They’re in search for tone, style and vision. This is where ideas begin to take shape.
In the suites at the Martinez, some directors share scenes from their upcoming film on their phones. They have just five minutes to convince. The discussions may be lengthy, but decisions are often made instantly. A glance, a handshake and the film is set in motion.
It’s not always the words that ignite an idea. Sometimes, it’s a moment of raw sincerity. An actor or actress shares a doubt or a desire to try something different. These moments also shape the cinema of tomorrow.
Perhaps such scenes occurred again this year. Imagine Kristen Stewart, presenting The Chronology of Water, sitting at a table on a beach in La Bocca, chatting with a Maghreb filmmaker. Nothing official, just a candid exchange. Maybe a future collaboration. Nothing is confirmed, but in Cannes, possibilities hold as much weight as certainties.
In the halls of the Hôtel Barrière, a Canadian agent pitches a co-production idea to a Senegalese producer. She knows a talented screenwriter, he knows a director. The pieces fall into place. There won’t be a press release, just a conversation that continues the next day at the Film Market.
Not everything happens by invitation. Some remain on the terraces, quietly listening, slipping in unnoticed. Cannes is also a playground for those daring enough to take a chance. New ideas circulate without business cards. Some fail, but others, with persistence, get noticed.
In Cannes, after 8 PM, anything is possible. Antonin THUILLIER / AFP
Not all evenings are filled with inspiration. Some are shallow and superficial. But sometimes, a single sentence sparks a future project. It’s in these unexpected moments that cinema changes its course.
One must have intuition, patience and sometimes, the courage to stay up until the early hours to catch the right conversation. After 8 PM in Cannes, the ground is fragile and bubbling. There are no spotlights or awards.
Sometimes cinema begins on a hotel staircase or at the corner of a table. In Cannes, the greatest films are often born in the stillness of the night.
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