<strong>Cannes</strong>_FP_Bleed.indd 15/12/08 5:17:43 PM
day5_p48_party_b 5/17/08 2:04 PM Page 48party lineSunday,THR.com/cannesMay 18, 2008 | day 5DANISH PARTY PHOTOS: MICHAEL BUCKNER/GETTY IMAGESMEIFFCentury BeachFriday night’s schmooze laid on by the MiddleEast International Film Festival in Abu Dhabiwas a well-paced evening in the exclusive environmentcreated by the <strong>Cannes</strong> off-shoot ofLondon’s members-only Century Club. <strong>The</strong> soiréebuilt <strong>from</strong> a relaxed and refined dinner buffetwith live jazz trio into a pretty wild rave-up, withpumped-up punters pounding the planks intothe small hours under a giant disco ball.>Attendees: Hosts Mohamed Khalaf AlMazrouei, director general of the Abu DhabiAuthority for Culture and Heritage, andNashwa AlRuwaini, directorof the festival,welcomedWoody Harrelsonand GoldieHawn, whomthey hope to entice to the Abu Dhabi event,which runs Oct 10-19. Ray Winstone alsodropped in, but made an early exit.>Cuisine: A full free bar all evening includingchampagne kept revelers well-fueled.Sadly no strong Middle Eastern theme to thecuisine, but still a generous spread of hotdishes including rolled lamb, seared salmonand chicken kebabs complemented withrice, tabouleh, grilled aubergine and salad.<strong>The</strong> only Oriental touch was the pastries,including sweet baklava-style bites and“gazelles’ horns.”>Highlights/lowlights: Once the promotionalniceties were over and the tables werecleared <strong>from</strong> the dance floor about 11p.m.,the well-heeled crowd suddenly switched<strong>from</strong> industry networking to serious partying.Huge black balloons periodicallydetached themselves <strong>from</strong> the ceiling to bebounced round the dancefloor until theyburst. <strong>The</strong> twin DJs — including Kinky D,who no doubt has the best Afro on theCroisette — played consistently rockingmusic <strong>from</strong> Blondie and remixes of Abbaand Bob Marley tracks before moving on tomuscular techno. Some punters were soexuberant it was like watching a four-houraerobic work-out with smiles.— Charles MastersCanal PlusLe Suquet4 martinisCanal Plus showed guests why they call it“pay” tv with the ubiquitous <strong>Cannes</strong> mediagiant’s annual <strong>Cannes</strong> bash a star-studded,under-the-stars start to the fest’s first weekend.Choo-choo trains brought partygoers up awinding street to the oldest church in <strong>Cannes</strong>.<strong>The</strong> panoramic view <strong>from</strong> the hilltop proved anice escape <strong>from</strong> the Croisette craziness.> Attendees: Every Pierre, Jean and Louis-Philippe this side of the French border. VincentCassel arrived late, but “derailed” everylady at the party with his charming smile.Frenchiewood“it” coupleactress AliceTaglioni andactor beauJocelyn Quivrinmade agrand entrance. Jean-Claude Van Dammeand the “JCVD” team added some Belgianbling . Canal Plus CEO Bertrand Meheutwelcomed directors Claude Lelouch, TonieMarshall and Cedric Klapisch.>Cuisine: It was all about the meat andgreet as hungry guests lined up to samplethe delectable steaks and beef kabobsgrilling at a central island. Those looking fora bit of Spanish flavor before tomorrow’sofficial “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” screeningsampled paella, while others stuck toFrench tradition and dined on bread andcheese or the mini cheese-olive bruchettas,ratatouille-filled puff pastries and tomatocakes floating around on trays all evening.Dessert standouts included mini pine nuttarts, lemon squares, chocolate-coveredstrawberries and mini brownies.>Highlights/lowlights: <strong>The</strong> panoramicview of <strong>Cannes</strong> <strong>from</strong> the hilltop church wasbreathtaking./Descending <strong>from</strong> said hilltopproved nearly fatal as one train headingdownhill and another uphill blocked eachother’s paths and unfortunate passengerswere forced to make the long trek back tocentral <strong>Cannes</strong> by foot.— Rebecca LefflerTysonPort Canto LaCapitainerieW4 martinisith very in-yourfacesponsorship 3 martinisin the form of Nike andGrey Goose Vodka, the party for James Toback’sMike Tyson documentary felt more like aSundance bash than a <strong>Cannes</strong> event but thecrowd was up for it and a music mix heavy onhip hop and R&B kept everyone bouncing.>Attendees: Iron Mike and director JamesToback were the stars of the show, huddlingwith some local talent in the party’s tiny VIParea.>Cuisine: Fitting for a bash celebrating thetoughest man in boxing, the bar served onlythe hard stuff — but plenty of it. <strong>The</strong> fingerfood, such as it was, ran out almostimmediately.>Highlights/lowlights: <strong>The</strong> presence ofTyson, who initially refused to come butwas finally coaxed out of his hotel room byToback./<strong>The</strong> lonely Nike sponsorship area,which featured golf video games, a replicasoccer pitch and a baseball memorabilia areabut, bizarrely, not a single boxing reference.— Scott RoxboroughHenrik BoNielsen, left,and AndreasStroelDanish Films(Scandinavian Terrace)<strong>The</strong> Meet the Danes event resembled aDogme 95 film — with little artificial lighting,do-it-yourself sets and no music. Though thecompany was pleasant enough, the party’smain attraction — the view of the Croisette —was spoiled by the wet weather.>Attendees: A who’s who of the Scandinavianindustry including such luminaries asDanish Film Institute CEO Henrik Bo Nielsenand TrustNordisk execs Rikke Ennis andSusan Wendt as well as some non-Nordicslike Munich Film Fest head Andreas Strohl>Cuisine: A mini smorgasbord of veggies,fruit, meatballs and sandwichestook the edge offstarvation. Liquid entertainmentcame in the form ofDanish Faxe Beer and winesin all three colors.2 martinis>Highlights/lowlights: <strong>The</strong> event showedall the variation in pitch of a fine-tunedBang & Olufsen stereo. Highlight? Lowlight?Who could tell the difference?— Scott RoxboroughRatings Range: 0-5 martinisTHR.com | los angeles 323.525.2000 | new york 646.654.5000 | london +44.207.420.6139 | beijing +86.10.6512.5511 (ext. 121)48
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