Just hours after arriving from Los Angeles, where he attended the Golden Globes ceremony where two Croisette alumni, Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent, won major awards, Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux headed straight to the landmark 18th-century restaurant La Perouse for Variety magazine’s Paris Dinner, where he was celebrated as guest of honor.
The intimate dinner, co-hosted by Variety and La Perouse owners Benjamin and Emilie Patou in collaboration with Elsa Huysman’s Cabinet 111, attracted Cannes royals and French A-listers, including Vincent Lindon (Titan). Isabelle Huppert (The Richest Woman in the World) will next be seen in Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales. There’s also Léa Seydoux (“Dune: Part 2”) starring in Arthur Harari’s (“Anatomy of the Fall”) next film, “The Unknown.” and Gilles Lelouch (“Beat Hearts”), who plays Jean Moulin, a French resistance force, in director Laszlo Nemeth’s new film.
The starry night got even more heated as director Josh Safdie joined the French movie dinner straight from the AMPAS screening of his award-season hit, Marty Supreme, for which Timothée Chalamet just won a Golden Globe.

(Photo courtesy of Sebastian Caution)
Safdie arrived in high spirits with Marty Supreme costume designer Miyako Bellizzi (who also worked on Uncut Gems and Good Time), French distributor Victor Hadida, publicist Catherine Lowe and A24 Films’ Milen Lemma. He immediately jumped into the room’s French mix and had a long and passionate conversation with Frémaux and Huppert, before getting involved in the production of Marty Supreme, Studio Canal CEO Anna Marsh, and Media One Pictures. Together with Elisabeth d’Alvieux, who just won four Golden Globes for Plan B, they began talking about the making of “Marty Supreme” and Chalamet’s enthusiasm for the role of table tennis champion Marty Reisman. “puberty”.
Variety magazine’s third dinner at La Perouse, with many Cannes films such as “Sentimental Values,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sirat,” “An Accident” and “Arco” gaining solid buzz in the Oscar race, the event showcased international gems and paid homage to Cannes’ role in shaping the global awards story. Meanwhile, Safdie’s presence underscored the deepening ties between European cinema and American filmmaking establishments.
The dinner also brought together some of France’s up-and-coming talent, including Annamaria Bartholomey (“Mickey 17”), who stars in Pathé’s upcoming “De Gaulle” series. Rebecca Marder’s latest film “The Stranger” won the Lumiere Award for Best Picture. Film director and actor Hafsia Helge won the Best Actress Award (for Nadia Metti) at the Cannes Film Festival for her film “Little Sister.” Film director Cedric Kahn (“Le procès Goldman”). Thierry Clifa’s film The Richest Woman in the World was Huppert’s biggest hit in decades, drawing close to 1 million viewers. The producer is Hugo Serignac (“Beating Hearts”), who recently completed Quentin Dupieux’s “Full Fill,” starring Woody Harrelson and Kristen Stewart. Dimitri Rassam (“The Count of Monte Cristo”), who is preparing to shoot “The Count of Monte Cristo” directed by Lady Lee, along with Laila Takhar, Olivier Delbosque of “The Wizard of the Kremlin” starring Jude Law and Paul Dano, appeared in Venice, as well as Carole Benjot and Carol Scotta, co-founders of Hautes & Cotes, who distributed “The Richest Woman in the World” in France.
Cecil Felsenberg, co-founder of major talent agency UBBA, was also in attendance. Cecile Gallet, CEO of Carousel Pictures. The producer is Anne-Dominique Toussaint (Capernaum). Benjamin Elalouf (“Le procès Goldman”) and director and screenwriter Noé Debray (“Le denier des juifs”). Julie Billy (“Little Sister”). Joanna Nahon (“Desire Fulfiller”). investment banker Grégoire Chartock; author and screenwriter Anne Berest (“Private Life”); Recipient of Strategist Sebastian Cauchon Award. Laurence Surroux, head of protocol at Cannes. and Marie-Ange Luciani, producer of “Anatomy of a Fall.”
Guests were treated to a selection of cocktails, wines and champagnes, as well as fresh and sophisticated food, including marinated sea bass carpaccio with basil oil, pasta tagliatelle with artichoke and truffle shavings, and Vacherin with pear and yuzu for dessert.
Owned by Patou and Antoine Arnault, La Perouse first opened its doors in 1766 and became a favorite retreat for the Parisian intelligentsia, including philosophers, novelists, artists, and eventually filmmakers, who flocked to its numerous salons filled with paintings, ornate ornaments, crystal chandeliers, and richly decorated with red velvet. Elegantly renovated a few years ago by Dior House head Cordelia de Castellane, La Perouse was mentioned in Marcel Proust’s iconic novel In Search of Lost Time and was used as the backdrop for Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris.
(Photo courtesy of Joseph de Vism)


Cedric Kahn, Hugo Serignac, Gilles Lelouch

Ardavan Safai of Pathe, Elsa Huisman of Cabinet 111, Léa Seydoux

Annamaria Bartolomei
