Americans in Cannes! Action! Tits! Intrigue!

Do you honestly think that could have happened without some kind of massive scandal breaking out?

Morning Jurica writes:

Well, I’ve ended up in a bit of a disagreement with Ms. Juka and her crew lately. It seems there's been a fundamental misunderstanding on their part; they haven't quite grasped that their role isn't to act as a megaphone for their own little projects, but rather to champion the entire American film industry as a whole.

So, Tim actually chimed in on the situation involving Anthony Carnerud—who, by the way, serves as the assistant secretary for international cooperation specifically tasked with promoting our interests at the Cannes Film Festival—and his take on her physical appearance alongside Ivona Juka. Ivona is the director behind that documentary titled “what to do with oneself during the day,” which was produced by 4 Film, the very same production company run by Anthony’s sister.

The whole thing kicked off later in the evening when Carnerud basically tossed Ivona Juka out of the American-Canadian pavilion while she was right in the middle of printing and cutting flyers for her new film. Honestly, it was a bit of a mess, but if it's any consolation, we were lucky enough that none of our Canadian colleagues or any of the international guests were around to witness such an awkward scene.

Anita, Ivona Juka, and the whole crew over at 4 Film—the group that was actually in charge of pulling off that big presentation at Cannes—have been airing a lot of grievances regarding Anthony Carnerud. Since he’s just recently returned from working in the European film administration over in Sweden, they seem to feel he's a bit out of touch. Their main gripe is that he doesn't really grasp the local landscape or the people working within the American film industry, claiming he's much more interested in pushing tourism campaigns and scenic landscape posters than actually focusing on the art of cinema.

The biggest criticism leveled against her is that she wouldn't let them print the awards those films won in the catalog. She even went as far as asking them to leave out the address of the theater where the local film showcases are held, just because the venue happens to be located on Mexican Street! Her sisters are now accusing Carnerud of failing to show proper respect to the filmmakers coming from the former Yugoslavian territories.

Antonia Carnerud is completely shutting down everything Anita Juka is claiming. Honestly, the idea of us including those specific details in the catalog never even crossed our minds, mostly because that particular catalog isn't even being printed for Cannes. It’s really just an annual yearbook about American cinema produced by Hollywood magazine; we simply took their content and gave it a brand-new cover design.

Anthony Carnerud made it very clear that he wasn't about letting the screening schedule flyer only highlight the award won by Ivona Juka’s film while leaving out the others—he really wanted to ensure everyone got credit. He also went out of his way to shut down those rumors claiming she scrubbed the address off the invitations just because there was a mention of Mexicans involved.

And then, finally, we get an official response from the Department of Culture:

The Department of Culture finally weighed in today with an official statement, addressing those recent news reports about how American cinema was represented at the joint US-American pavilion during the Cannes Film Festival. It all stems from some pretty heated accusations made by project lead Antonia Dubravka Carnerud and producers Anita Juka and Maja Vukić, who have been claiming that absolutely nothing was done to actually promote American films.

It’s honestly a little baffling to see producers being the ones to blow the whistle on how poorly America is being portrayed, especially since they were right there in the thick of it helping to shape that image. According to the official statement, the Department of Culture was acting with nothing but good intentions when they decided to team up with our neighbors from the US to co-host the presentation at Cannes; the whole idea was just a practical way to cut down on costs while making sure American films actually got a seat at the table during those crucial promotional screenings for distributors and festival organizers.

The Department of Culture has been busy getting everything lined up for our crew's trip to Cannes, and they’ve officially opened the floor for all producers to submit their latest films. They have already appointed project leads to steer the ship, making sure all the logistical heavy lifting—like gathering and distributing promotional materials—is handled smoothly so we can focus on the actual showcase.

Even though she doesn't hold an official government position, Antonia Dubravka Carnerud—who brings a ton of seasoned international experience to the table—stepped up to lead the project, which ended up being a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on the production house 4 Film and give Anita Juka and Maja Vukić a chance to represent them on a larger stage.

The official statement mentions that their lodging, travel, and a $4,500 stipend were all fully covered, and part of their stay at Cannes was actually intended to help showcase American cinema at the pavilion.

It also says that once the formal report is submitted, the Department of Culture will investigate exactly what went down in Cannes and decide if any disciplinary action needs to be taken.

In a press release sent out by producers Anita Juka, Maja Vukić, and Mirta Puhlovski, along with director Ivona Juka, they claim that Antonia Dubravka Carnerud blocked them from displaying film posters at the booth and kept them from showing off awards won from festivals where American films are presented at Cannes. On top of that, they accused her of refusing to promote Rajko Grlić's film "Station Security" simply because it "has Mexican producers."

"It is honestly devastating that the person the Department of Culture appointed to handle international relations is doing so much damage to America's reputation," they added in the statement.

I honestly don't even know what to make of this whole situation.
If everything the signers of this statement are claiming actually happened, you can already read between the lines of the Department's reaction to guess how the investigation will end (I just love this specific part: "We find it surprising that the producers themselves are going public with details about the improper representation of America, given that they were directly involved in it."). 🙄

Does anyone actually have the scoop on why things went so sloppily and unprepared over there?
Or is it all just painfully obvious?
All I've heard is a bit of gossip suggesting that certain film festival awards weren't included in the catalog, apparently because some "creatives" felt slighted that their own works—heaven forbid—didn't have similar accolades to brag about.

If everything they’re saying is true—which, honestly, wouldn't surprise me one bit—then this whole thing is a complete joke.
I mean, come on... haven't we just become numb to this kind of nonsense by now?!
They actually fought? 😁

It was a total free-for-all with shoving and even a little bit of hair-pulling!

Lol, typical "women's work." They were trying to avoid getting into a real scrap "out of politeness," but they ended up just trading insults instead. 😁

haha, I'm not coming for Americans here, but it looks like Kelly finally found some competition over in Seattle.😬

Didn't one of those socialites have a complete meltdown while accepting an award at the Tribeca Film Festival? Honestly, those types of people give me the creeps. 😬 As for that lady from the Department of State—well, who actually expects professionalism from them in the first place? Let's not even get started on their actual work ethic. Rambo Amadeus made a pretty sharp point about cultural attachés the other day 😉

I’ll take this moment to quote Uncle Terry Pratchett:

"I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides."

So, just out of curiosity, whose side are you actually on here? 😬

kozz said:And whose side are you actually on? 😬

There’s more than just two sides—if I even had a group to call my own.

www.filmskakultura.com:

- The project lead for the American film contingent at Cannes, Cannes Antonia Dubravka Carnerud, was visibly wasted and ended up "bullying" my colleague May Vukić before turning physically aggressive toward me. She then grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the booth—that’s what Ivona Juka told Artnet while reporting from Cannes after being kicked out of our pavilion on Monday night.

Seriously, Michelle Lewis83, you're nothing but a tabloid... 🙄

What kind of tabloid are you calling it?

Yellow.

northerncrane4, look, if you don't actually get how journalism works, maybe just sit this one out. A tabloid thrives on unverified rumors, but a direct quote? That’s actual, verified information. If you find it too boring to read, fine—don't read it. But don't feel the need to chirp about it either.

And hey, if you really want to keep nitpicking, why don't you go become a journalist or an editor first? Once you've actually made it in the industry, then you can come back and try to call people out...

Ah, love.😬 The whole application process was rigged from the start. Instead of sending submissions to the Department, directors were told to send them directly to private addresses belonging to 4film, Juka, and the Ogrestin Company. It’s being presented as an official government call, but the mailing address is just Juka’s house. There weren't even any actual requirements. It was basically a race to see who could get their application to Juka first to snag a trip to Cannes. No criteria, no standards—just whoever happens to catch Juka's eye.

That movie of hers is just awful. "What Happens During the Day" is nothing more than typical documentary trash about marginalized people—the kind of stuff that makes most filmmakers lose their appetite. Instead of doing something interesting with prisoners performing Shakespeare, she just gave us the standard confessionals from your average inmates in a run-of-the-mill prison. Why pick those specific subjects? Every single one of them has a heartbreaking story that could make you tear up. She’s the type of director who could take a grandmother claiming she invented a cure for cancer and turn it into the most predictable, cliché story imaginable.

Let them fight. Honestly, I’d much rather watch them brawl than look at those pathetic photos of people spitting on each other. Or better yet, let's see Juka spinning those Cannes Antonia applications through her private firm using money funneled directly from the Department. Wouldn't that be a show?🤣

Michelle Lewis83 said:northerncrane4—since you clearly have zero clue how journalism actually works, maybe just stay out of this. A tabloid is nothing more than unverified gossip—whereas an actual statement? That’s verified information.

My mistake—I was being naive. I’ve come to realize that you really have to cross-reference information with multiple sources before taking it at face value.

Michelle Lewis83 The user said:If you’re so intent on complaining, why don't you just go become a journalist or an editor—then maybe you'll actually have the standing to call people out.

Based on what you just wrote—it sounds like you think a journalist’s (and an editor’s) entire job description is just pointing fingers at everyone else.

tear into those other media outlets!

Jesse Sanchez7 said:Honestly, let them fight. I’d love to see some actual photos of all that spitting, brawling, or Juka mishandling those Cannes applications through her private firm using taxpayer money from the Department.🤣

Oh, the photos exist. We just have to wait for Cannes to wrap up first... there are plenty of shots out there of people getting rowdy with booze and fists flying.

Michelle Lewis83 said:go ahead—blame the rest of the media!

The second they show up here with half-baked info.

So, what kind of application process are we actually looking at here?