Cute moment with kids in Cannes and behind the scenes on 'The Florida Project'

Record ID: 901425

  • Title: Cute moment with kids in Cannes and behind the scenes on 'The Florida Project'
  • Date: 25th May 2017
  • Summary: CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR, SEAN BAKER, SAYING: ''Let me tell you a little bit about Brooklynn, she is truly like a god send to me - I mean I just really have to thank my lucky stars that is, that she came into our lives, she's an incredible actress, you know she already had - she had been in a few features - she had been in comm
  • Embargoed: 8th June 2017 14:58
  • Keywords: Cannes Valeria Cotto Willem Dafoe Bria Vinaite Brooklynn Kimberly Prince Sean Baker The Florida Project
  • Location: CANNES, FRANCE / VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • City: CANNES, FRANCE / VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film,Human Interest / Brights / Odd News
  • Reuters ID: LVA0046IC4T3T
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: PART MUTE
    It's hard to imagine a cuter Cannes Film Festival moment than seven-year-old U.S. actress Brooklynn Kimberly Prince tearing up after seeing her film on the big screen, while her young co-star, six-year-old Valeria Cotto, was on hand to give her a hug.
    Dressed up to the nines, the little girls got a standing ovation at the end of the Directors' Fortnight premiere of 'The Florida Project' on Tuesday night (May 23).
    Director Sean Baker gave them a hug too, as well as the film's lead actress Bria Vinaite.
    Brooklyn stars in the drama as Moonee, a young girl living with her recently unemployed mother Halley (Vinaite) in a cheap hotel close to Walt Disney World in Florida.
    Despite their challenging situation Halley remains upbeat as she does whatever it takes to pay the rent, while Moonee has fun with her friends - including Jancey (Cotto), who has just moved into the motel next door.
    The film doesn't shy away though from showing the reality of life for the families too poor to afford a permanent home - and seeing the movie play out made Brooklyn emotional.
    Getting ready in an apartment in Cannes before the premiere, Brooklynn, who has acted since the age of three, was full of energy saying she felt like a princess and joking about trusting her hairstylist.
    She and her co-stars Valeria and Bria - who are making their big screen acting debuts, all got ready for the screening together with Bria describing coming to Cannes as 'the most surreal experience I have ever had in my entire life.'
    Before being spotted on social media by director Sean Baker, Bria 'sat in her house and made clothes', for her company 'ChroniCal NYC' - now she's got the acting bug and wants to continue.
    Coming to Cannes is the first time the three actresses have been together since they finished filming last August, originally from Lithuania Bria grew up and is based in Brooklyn, New York - while the two girls live in Florida.
    Leading the charge from the apartment through the back streets of Cannes to the theatre, Bria donned a pair of sandals under her dress going on to explain on the way that she would be crying if it wasn't for the fact she'd had her make-up done.
    ''Tangerine'' filmmaker Sean Baker joined the group at the theatre where they got on up on stage before the screening. The movie also stars Willem Dafoe as a caring hotel manager. he couldn't make the event, but he sent a video message to the group.
    Speaking to Reuters in Cannes, Sean said finding Brooklynn was a 'godsend ', adding that 'within '10 seconds we knew she was getting the Moonee role'.
    He had a similarly quick instant reaction when he happened to spot Bria on social media: 'in that three seconds there was something about her - she made me laugh... it wasn't just your normal selfie pose she had something to say.''
    'The Florida Project 'has received good reviews in Cannes with the Guardian giving it five stars and the Hollywood Reporter calling it a "vibrant portrait of life on the shabbier fringes of America" that "takes glorious advantage of the bubblegum palette and architectural absurdity of the setting ... It's hard to recall another movie about poverty with so much visual pop."
    Directors' Fortnight runs alongside Cannes' Official Selection.
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