APEX Exclusive: Encore Inflight Limited’s Jovita Toh Talks Cannes Film Festival
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Next week actors, filmmakers and press from around the world will gather on the sun-dappled shores on the French Riviera for the launch of the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival. Brimming with a heady mix of lavish, big studio premieres from the likes of Pixar (Inside Out) and Warner Bros. (Mad Max: Fury Road) and the latest cinematic offerings from world-class filmmakers like Woody Allen, Gus Van Sant, Paolo Sorrentino, Jacques Audiard and Todd Haynes, it’s easy to see why Cannes has long been known as the film festival of the year.
Hoping to gain a little insider perspective on it all, we chatted recently with Encore Inflight Limited‘s CEO, Jovita Toh – a Cannes veteran with 14 previous fests under her belt – about movies, meetings and Mountains that may depart with the Palm d’Or.
When most people think about the Cannes Film Festival, they picture big movie stars parading down the Palais in a flurry of flashbulbs. What’s the festival really like on a day to day basis?
The exciting thing about the Cannes Film Festival is not just all the wonderful movies that will be screened but more so the upcoming projects you get to hear about. At the last festival, two projects caught my attention: a Japanese movie called AN, directed by Naomi Kawase … and a Chinese movie called Mountains May Depart by Jia Zhangke. AN is a French-Japanese co-production and Mountains May Depart was jointly produced by Chinese, French and Japanese companies. I acquired the in-flight rights even before they went into production and they are both in the Official Selection for the competition; Mountains May Depart vying for the coveted Palm d’Or and AN for the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Fingers crossed!
“The amazing thing is that after attending 14 Cannes Film Festivals, I never run out of new companies to meet.”
The Coen Brothers are co-presidents of the jury this year. Do you find that the make-up of the jury drives the selection process or is it really anyone’s game?
I think the jury plays a big part and the jury this year [which includes actors Rossy de Palma, Sophie Marceau, Sienna Miller and Jake Gyllenhaal; writer/directors Guillermo del Toro and Cavier Dolan; and composer Rokia Traoré] looks like a really good mix. The one thing I did notice in this year’s jury is the absence of an Asian. In the past few years there has been Asian actors or directors as part of the jury and I think it is important, especially when there are Asian films in the competition.
I agree. The 2006 jury, with Hong-Kong based filmmaker Wong Kar-wai as president, seemed particularly strong to me. Do you have any favorite juries over the years?
From my very biased point of view, the jury from last year stands out for me. With Jane Campion as president and Sofia Coppola on the jury, it was electric!
Aside from your two titles in competition, what else are you looking forward to this year at Cannes?
This year, I have lined up 33 movies to screen which leaves me with only about 25 meeting slots. I try to meet with new companies each year, and the amazing thing is that after attending 14 Cannes Film Festivals, I never run out of new companies to meet. I am also looking forward to speaking at one of the Producer’s Network Breakfast meetings about the world of in-flight entertainment. The buzz begins! I can’t wait to hear about what is in the works for the next year!