Cannes in a Van!

The guerrilla cinema project that does exactly what it says on the tin ran for the second time this year at Cannes and has plans to go international
Text by Laure Brosson | Published in www.dazeddigital.com
26 August 2008


Right from the back of their van, they screen movies from all over the world, The smallest mobile film festival in the world is back from the Cannes Film Festival 2008, and now travel accross UK.
Andy Greenhouse, one of the founder of Cannes in a Van is talking to Dazed Digital, giving us hope for more audacious happenings.

-When did you start Cannes in a Van? Where did the concept came from?
It came from a drunken conversation at a wedding with my mate, Simon Harris. I've held a number of film nights in London before at The 100 Club and ran a short film podcast called ShallowShorts100. It seemed like a great idea to take some of those films down to the Cannes Film Festival and screen them from the back of a van. Cannes in a Van (The world's smallest mobile film festival / Perfect Vehicle for Independent Film) was the next step. We first went last year - 2007, so 2008 was only the second year. I intend on taking the van back to Cannes every year from now onwards.

-I know you are a few people involve in Cannes in a Van, could you tell us about you?
In 2007 it was me, Simon and a young journalist named Jamie, who wrote a blog. In May '08 Simon and Jamie couldn't commit, so I needed two new recruits. I ended up with 3 - Cath (an ex film student), Stuart (an underwater filmmaker who lives in Thailand) and Janus (a 60 year old Danish straight-talking film director/producer).

-Why Cannes, and not an other festival?
Because of the name of course! It rhymes. Seriously though, the contrast between the glitz and glamour of Cannes in festival swing and a rusty old yellow Transit van screening independent film seemed like a good reason. The festival celebrates cinema from all over the world, but lately, the festival has become soaked up in its own hype to an extent. I do love the craziness of it however, and it's a chance to screen independent British film to a truly international audience of influential movie people.

-What is your film selections? And how is the audience reaction?
Films are submitted directly to Cannes in a Van via the website: www.cannesinavan.com. Selections also come from various festivals and external sources such as Rushes Soho Shorts, Birds-Eye-View Film Festival and Channel 4's 3 Minute-Wonders.
The audience reaction is appreciative. They seem to like the guerrilla spirit of the van and our approach to the festival. They stop and watch in the middle of the street, normally with a smile on their face.

- The cinema is perceived as entertainment in a lot of countries, United States, UK... and cultural in France. Do you see yourself as entertainers? Or more in a cultural way?
Cannes in a Van is definitely somewhere in the middle. First and foremost it's entertainment – we screen a huge variety of films from all genres. It's also cultural in the sense that in this age where everything is all about the next technology, the smallest, the most memory, the sharpest image – we are going the other way, taking it back to basics. We simply screen films to the public from a big yellow van. The picture's not perfect, the sound is sometimes distorted, but the experience is unique.

-And what is your view on the British film industry?
The British film industry is hopefully on the up. There are a lot of people doing exciting things when you look outside of the big multiplex cinemas. Independent talent is booming because films have become cheap and easy to produce but funding is still largely from government schemes and a handful of familiar bodies. We will never have a huge industry like the US, but I think filmmakers are looking for alternative methods of funding their work. There's an organisation called The Movie Mogul Fund in Britain which encourages financial and creative involvement from filmmakers in a form of a 'shares' scheme. It will hopefully result in some great features and shorts produced outside the usual system.

-How does that work, with a Van, a mobile festival, i read you don't have any permission to show film, no licence, How do you manage that? A little risky for the sake of cinema!
I think the police go easy on us because we're not pedalling our own stuff. We're not promoting a product, we don't charge people to watch and I think they kinda like it. It's all in the spirit of guerrilla cinema so it would be wrong to have a license for it I guess!

-Do you get any sponsor? Despite the fact, you are clandestine projectionist.
I couldn't do it without sponsors. In 2007 we put most of the money up ourselves, but on the website, had an option to 'buy parts' of the van. This meant a person or company could buy a steering wheel for £75 and would get a logo on the van.
This year we had further support from Dailymotion, Final Draft, ShallowDesign and MovieScope magazine.

-Where can we see Cannes in a Van apart from Cannes? As a mobile festival, you could be anywhere!
We just played the Secret Garden Party in a field near Cambridge and have a few screenings lined up in London. In the coming year Cannes in a Van will become part of The (Untitled) Film Festival and continue screening in new and unusual environments. We're always into new ideas.

-How do you promote yourself as your notoriety has gone bigger.
We use film networking sites like Shooting People and Talent Circle, aswell as traditional press and media if they'll have us! If people like what we do, they can go to www.cannesinavan.com or email twoblokes@cannesinavan.com.

-What is the future for Cannes in a Van?
There's talk of a Cannes in a Van world tour – taking hundreds of international films around the world to the remotest of places and screening them. We'll need a serious sponsor naturally and maybe a TV deal... but it's something I'd like to make happen. It would be nice to rock the van up at Sundance on a brisk winter morning!
Then of course there's our future Cannes trips. We'll be there as long as the sun shines, bringing independent film to the masses on the Croisette. Look out for a big yellow van showing films and chances are - that's probably us.



-Laure Brosson-