CANNES, France -- Wandering around the dense collection of parties, promotional events and, yes, even movie screenings at the Cannes Film Festival, you can't help but feel the sheer scale of the place barreling down on your senses. The environment easily accommodates lavish expressions of power, with any number of celebrities and affluent investors flocking to private gatherings along the messy length of the Croisette to talk business over the finest rosé until dawn breaks. The festival and the marketplace swirl together as a furious spectacle. The international film industry these days is all about swimming with sharks.

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