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Variety gathered leading figures from the French film industry for its fourth dinner at Lapérouse in Paris, a post-Cannes and summer celebration bringing together Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux, Mediawan
boss Pierre-Antoine Capton, MK2 Films co-CEO Nathanaël Karmitz and Pathé Films president Ardavan Safaee, as well as actors and filmmakers Anamaria Vartolomei, Rebecca Zlotowski, Guillaume Canet, Marina Foïs, Géraldine Nakache and Elsa Zylberstein, among others.
Hosted at the iconic Paris restaurant with the support of co-owners Émilie and Benjamin Patou, the evening toasted the global reach of French cinema after a Cannes edition that showcased a wide range of local and international talent. It also underscored Variety’s longstanding ties with the French movie business and its unique position as a U.S. publication with a strong international and Francophile footprint.
The event was organized by Variety’s international editor Elsa Keslassy, with support from entertainment lawyer Elsa Huisman of Cabinet 111 and awards strategist Sébastien Cauchon of Cinema Collectors. Variety’s deputy international editor Ellise Shafer traveled from London to attend.
The celebration unfolded in one of Lapérouse’s intimate salons, L’Astrolabe, where the table was dressed in a romantic, candlelit style that matched the post-Cannes mood. A pink patterned tablecloth, white candelabras, low votive candles and small bouquets of summer flowers ran down the center, while gilded mirrors, textured wallpaper, draped windows and a chandelier gave the room an old-world Parisian glow.
Guests dined on a classic Lapérouse menu featuring smoked Norwegian salmon with blinis and dill cream, duck pâté en croûte with foie gras and thyme and the restaurant’s signature truffled croque-royal with comté cheese. Main courses ranged from chicken suprême with morel cream and mashed potatoes to pearly cod with beurre blanc, followed by Lapérouse vanilla cake and a minute-cut seasonal fruit turban.
Frémaux, who just marked his 25th year at the helm of Cannes, was joined by Zlotowski, who originated the idea for “La Vénus électrique,” which played on opening night of this year’s festival; Canet, whose thriller “Karma,” starring Marion Cotillard, played out of competition; and actor-turned-director Nakache, who presented “Think Good” at Cannes Première. Also on hand were Marina Foïs, who was at the festival with Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved,” and Vartolomei, who stars in Pathé’s ambitious two-part historical epic “De Gaulle.” The first installment premiered in Cannes and has since enjoyed a strong rebound at the French box office. She was joined by Safaee, president of Pathé Films, which produced the “De Gaulle” diptych.
The gathering also spotlighted several major French production and distribution players. Nathanaël Karmitz, Elisha Karmitz and Fionnuala Jamison represented the MK2 group, which had 11 films at Cannes this year and won four prizes, including the Grand Prix for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur,” the Caméra d’Or and FIPRESCI prize for Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s “Ben’Imana” in Un Certain Regard, and the Grand Prix Ami Paris at Critics’ Week for Marine Atlan’s “La Gradiva.”
Capton, who celebrated Mediawan’s 10th anniversary last month, has just finalized the company’s acquisition of North Road, whose current hit “Backrooms” has grossed more than $331 million worldwide. He was accompanied by Élisabeth d’Arvieu, CEO of Mediawan Pictures. The company was behind nine films at Cannes.
Jérôme Levy, co-founder of Vuelta, was also present after the group’s labels brought more than a dozen films to Cannes, including “La Vénus électrique,” Nakache’s “Think Good” and “A Woman’s Life.”
Top producer Juliette Schrameck, whose credits include Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” attended following a strong Cannes that included Lucas Dhont’s “Coward,” which won the acting prize for its two leads, Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, as well as Leïla Marrakchi’s “Les Fraises” in Un Certain Regard.
Rassam, producer of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” also attended after producing Paweł Pawlikowski’s Cannes prizewinner “Fatherland” through his banner Chapter 2. He is currently wrapping production on Ladj Ly’s upcoming “Dumas,” which he is making with Srab Films and Pathé Films. Kim Chapiron joined the dinner as he prepares his next film, a thriller set in the clandestine world of beauty. He came with producers Gary Farkas, Olivier Muller and Clément Lepoutre, whose banner Phantasm Group has joined luxury and lifestyle powerhouse The Independents and was at Cannes with James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” and Quentin Dupieux’s “Full Phil.”
Other guests included CNC president Gaëtan Bruel; Grégoire Chertok, a high-profile investment banker and cinephile who was awarded the Légion d’honneur; Cécile Felsenberg, co-founder of UBBA, who attended with several of the agency’s talents, including Canet and Foïs; and Melita Toscan du Plantier, president of the Marrakech Film Festival and producer of “Homebound,” which was shortlisted for the Oscars this year.
Also present were producers Rosa Attab, whose company January Films has upcoming projects including Chris Andrews’ “Cavendish,” with Sophie Thatcher and Joe Alwyn attached to star; Sophie Mas, who runs the banner MountainA with Natalie Portman and is in post-production on Lena Dunham’s “Good Sex”; Wassim Beji, who recently delivered Yann Gozlan’s box office hit “Guru”; actor Elsa Zylberstein, who is developing several international projects as a producer, including a Simone de Beauvoir film written by Christopher Hampton and set to be directed by Anne Fontaine; and photographer Marcel Hartmann.
The evening also welcomed international guests, notably Dylan Leiner, executive VP of acquisitions, production and business affairs at Sony Pictures Classics; and Ama Ampadu, senior production and development executive at the BFI Filmmaking Fund.
Owned by Patou and Antoine Arnault, Lapérouse first opened its doors in 1766 and became a favorite refuge for the Parisian intelligentsia, drawing philosophers, novelists, artists and, later, filmmakers to its salons, lushly decorated with red velvet, paintings, ornate moldings and crystal chandeliers. Tastefully revamped a few years ago by Dior Maison head Cordelia de Castellane, Lapérouse was mentioned by Marcel Proust in “In Search of Lost Time” and served as a backdrop in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.”
