Live From The Cannes Film Festival: Day 1

I'm writing this post from the 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival - my first trip not only to Cannes, but to any kind of film festival.  The internationally renowned event is held each May in the beautiful French Riviera.

I'm here to promote my documentary, "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." I'm an official participant of Le Marche du Film, a global cinema marketplace held in conjunction with Cannes that allows filmmakers like myself to connect with production companies and distributors.

Here's a look at my Cannes experience so far:

I arrived at Cannes in the early afternoon yesterday (Saturday, May 20). It took me awhile to figure out which entrance to go to at the sprawling Palais des Festivals to pick up my badge for Le Marche du Film.

After I finally found the correct entrance and picked up  my credential badge and goody bag full of screening guides and trade publications such as "Variety" and "The Hollywood Reporter," my next task was finding my hotel and checking in so that I could freshen up. I felt grimy from a full 24 hours of buses, planes and trains that I took from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

It also took me a long time to find my hotel. I got help from two very nice ladies at the convention and visitors bureau in Antibes, the area that's a short train ride from Cannes where I'm staying. The ladies gave me a map to help me find my hotel on foot and avoid the cost of a taxicab.

While looking for my hotel, I stumbled onto a political event for newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron. An overflow crowd was gathered outside a storefront emblazoned with a billboard-size poster of Macron and two of his associates. I don't think the president was actually there, but was represented by his associates. I could vaguely hear the sound of some kind of stump speech filtering outside where I stood on the sidewalk trying to figure out where I was.

As I studied my map, two friendly strangers came up to me separately, told me that I looked lost and pointed me in the right direction to find my hotel - defying the stereotype of rude French people who turn up their noses at American tourists. After finally getting situated at my hotel, I took the train back to the Palais de Festival, only to find that I had arrived too late to get into any of that evening's screenings. Rather than disappointed, I was more than happy to go back to my hotel and crash after all the time on the road and in the air.

The highlight of the festival so far happened just this morning, when I had an informational meeting with a London-based production company. The personable, down-to-earth producer I met with gave me an overview of his company's services and I, in turn, told him about myself, the "Lady Wrestler" documentary and other projects in the works.

While I'd love to report that this meeting resulted in "overnight" success and generated that coveted multi-million-dollar sale that many people here at Cannes are hoping for, that's not the case. However, it was an excellent opportunity to network, build contacts and learn more about the international filmmaking business.

I'll continue to file reports as the festival continues through this coming week - if the wi-fi holds up, God willing.