The Show Must Go On: Cannes Film Festival 2016

The Cannes Film Festival has to be one of the most anticipated, attended and reported events on the media calendar. It is the place to be and be seen for the superstars, their entourage, the press, the industry moguls and the thousands of fans who descend on this elegant coastal town in the South of France every year.

But what hardly anyone notices is the jaw dropping level of  security going on behind the scenes to ensure nothing goes wrong.

And when you think about the sheer number of people there, the constant press coverage, the 5-star venues and the individual net worth involved, then you can begin to appreciate the security concern and how attractive Cannes could be to the wrong sort of visitor – as a rather terrifying prank recently proved.

A fake terrorist attack sent guests at the luxurious Hôtel du Cap screaming for cover when six men dressed in masked military outfits sped towards the hotel on their commando boat. Zooming past yachts owned by Steven Spielberg and Roman Abramovitch, the militia marched up the steps towards the cowering guests, waving their flag. The ‘attack’ which was actually a stunt by a French internet company. Unfunny, poorly judged and in terrible taste – or as a du Cap spokesperson called it ‘a bad joke – a really bad one’ – it still sent shock waves through Cannes.

And this is precisely why Priavo’s unique skills are continually requested at this increasingly demanding event, For 2016, our team flew out early for the pre-festival recce to fully check each venue, mapping escape routes and planning contingencies in the event of every possible eventuality.

But for Priavo, the highlight was providing close protection services to guests attending the 23rd Annual Cinema Against AIDS gala in support of amfAR. With a guest list including Leonardo DiCaprio, Uma Thurman, Dame Helen Mirren, Katy Perry, Kevin Spacey and Al Pacino, this was the highest level security event of the entire festival. The Priavo team stayed at the hotel prior to the event in order to familiarise themselves with all entrance and exit routes and plan effectively for different eventualities.

All the roads around the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc were closed at 15.00, and anyone not permitted within the area were asked to leave. The 120+ internal security team was strengthened with a further 120 French Authority members, including armed police and snipers. At 18:00 the press were access level checked and sniffer dogs were used throughout the venue (and to double check the press and their equipment).

Drawing heavily on our operatives’ previous military experience, every single step was taken, every eventuality predicted, every check that could be made was made. We’re proud to say all our hard work paid off and we considered the Cannes Film Festival 20106 to be, for us, a complete success.

We can’t say the same about every film, though…