The unlikely people’s festival

The American film festival is the only one among the famous cinema festivals in the world to be open to all the public,’ explains Christine Dejou, the event’s director of communications. ‘Cannes, Berlin and Venice are not; the screenings are only open to sponsors and people working in the cinema business.’ And this approach clearly pulls in the crowds. Last year the various screenings around the town, both mainstream and the more arty movies, attracted 50,000 viewers – and some 200,000 people turned up just to sample the atmosphere of Deauville-at-film.

This doesn’t mean that stars don’t matter. Heading the bill this year as guest of honour is the perennial Harrison Ford, who’s now 67, while veteran actress Meryl Streep is expected to introduce a screening of her film Julie & Julia, which is on general release in France from 16 September. Other big names turning up to the resort include Andy Garcia and Robin Wright Penn.

The festival’s ability to attract big names is partly due to timing. It takes place in early September – this year it opens on the fourth – when there is little competition from other similar events. ‘Cannes is not on at the same time and as the Venice festival takes place soon after Deauville, it is quite easy for producers to arrange one travel package covering both events,’ explains Christine Dejou. Yet it is the ordinary moviegoers who are really centre stage and organisers have dropped the price this year of their all-day screenings ticket from €45 to €30, and also brought down all-night screenings, to reflect the difficult economic situation and boost visitor numbers even further.

Deauville is, of course, known for things other than its film festival, and boasts a casino, racecourse, marina and some fine architecture. It was here on the beach that the iconic designer Coco Chanel is said to have found inspiration. Today visitors can stroll along the famous ‘La Planche’ seafront, built in 1923, and enjoy beautiful views across the wide sandy beaches, where the famous parasols stand up like beacons – something rich, famous film stars and pretty young things have done for many a year. Indeed, so popular is this resort with Parisians that Deauville is sometimes described as the city’s ‘21st arrondissement’ and for some has acquired a reputation for being exclusive, in contrast with neighbouring Trouville-sur-Mer.

However, it was the film festival that really helped put the town on the international map. The first one was staged in September 1975 as part of a carefully orchestrated plan, by Francoise André, head of Lucien Barrière's grand hotel and casino operations, and the then mayor Michel D'Ornano, to develop the town into an all year round business. Anne D'Ornano wife of Michel D'Ornano, and later herself mayor, explains the American movie link. ‘The success of Claude Lelouch's film Un Homme et une Femme, which was shot in the area and won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes film festival in 1966, boosted the towns image at home and abroad,’ she says.

‘It spurred the idea of hosting an annual American film festival in recognition of the region’s ties to America, through the heroic world war two Normandy landings by US servicemen. I went myself to Hollywood on behalf of the town to contact directors and film stars about the project. It was warmly received.’ Gregory Peck and Kirk Douglas were among the stars to attend in the early years. It is now so popular that it has become a ten-day annual event.