A Few Steps from Woody Allen

On my second day of Cannes, I made a rookie mistake: no morning coffee.  Which meant I sat through a two-hour long Bollywood film addressing sustainability staring Donald Sutherland and Brie Larson.

That's right. The same woman who just won the Best Actress Academy Award for "Room" gave song and dance scenes her best shot in "Basmati Blues".

Was it a very confusing two hours? Yes. Did I stay for the entire film? Yes. When Brie Larson is dancing through rice patties singing about self sustaining rice, you realize it would be a sin to leave.

We left craving rice and settling for tabouli at a brasserie (not settling at all let me tell you) down the street.

Heading towards the American Pavilion, I couldn't get over the view from the beach. Here's how the pavilion works: each country gets a tent.  The American one is the big shot one, requiring you to have a separate pass you have to get the invitation to buy. Commercialism, am I right?

We popped in (very swanky with a full bar, menu and beach access) to claim our badges and I almost ran into Corey Stoll. Two feet away: Woody Allen. We made eye contact. For those of you wondering, I did pretend to take a selfie and take stalker pictures of him. I'm sure he is not a complete moron and noticed.

We were asked to leave while they cleared the celebrities out and were handed free drink tickets. Honestly, I was more than happy to clear out if it meant a reward in free drink form.

Heading to the Israeli film showing "Personal Affairs" right after, we found ourselves caught in a surprisingly long line of about 500 people. It was completely worth it. If you are looking to watch a stunning visceral film, this is for you. The framing. I will never get over the framing of this film. Director Omar Shakhiya shoots frames in mirrors, frames entrances in balanced doorways, and places figures on either side of extensive lake scenes. Absolutely breathtaking.

The script itself was packed with subtle humor. Fantastic.

Back at the American Pavilion for a networking cocktail party, I managed to eat a minimum of 7 macaroons and meet a woman who's eyeglasses were carved into the shape of a racehorse.

A successful day in my book.