Variety show toasting French movies at summer dinner at La Perouse in Paris

Variety gathered key figures from the French film industry for its fourth dinner at La Perouse in Paris, celebrating the summer after the Cannes Film Festival with Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux, Media One president Pierre-Antoine Capton, and co-founder of MK2 Films. CEO Nathanael Karmitz, Pathé Films President Aldavan Safai, and actors and filmmakers Anamaria Bartholomei, Rebecca Zlotowski, Guillaume Canet, Marina Foyth, Geraldine Nakache, Elsa Zilberstein and others.

Held at the iconic Parisian restaurant in collaboration with co-owners Emilie Patou and Benjamin Patou, the evening celebrated the global reach of French cinema, following the Cannes edition, which showcased a wide range of local and international talent. It also highlighted Variety’s long-standing relationship with the French film industry and the company’s unique position as an American publication with a strong international and Francophile footprint.

The event was hosted by Variety magazine’s international editor Elsa Keslassy, ​​with support from cabinet 111’s entertainment lawyer Elsa Huysman and cinema collectors’ awards strategist Sebastien Cauchon. Elise Shafer, Variety’s international deputy editor, traveled from London to participate.

The celebration took place at the Astrolabe, one of La Perouse’s intimate salons, and the tables were decorated in a romantic candlelight style to match the post-Cannes vibe. Pink patterned tablecloths, white candlesticks, low candles, and small bouquets of summer flowers flowed down the center, while gilded mirrors, textured wallpaper, draped windows, and chandeliers gave the room an old Parisian glow.

Guests dined on the classic La Perouse menu, including Norwegian smoked salmon with blinis and dill cream, duck pâté en croute with foie gras and thyme, and the restaurant’s signature truffled croque royale with Comté cheese. Main courses were chicken soup with morel cream and mashed potatoes, followed by cod with beurre blanc, followed by La Perouse vanilla cake and finely cut seasonal fruit turban.

Mr. Frémaux, who is celebrating his 25th year at the helm of Cannes, was joined by Mr. Zlotowski, who came up with the idea for “La Vénus électrique,” which was performed on the opening day of this year’s festival. Kane had an out-of-competition performance in Karma, a thriller starring Marion Cotillard. And actor-turned-director Nakash, who announced “Think Good” at the Cannes premiere. Also in attendance were Marina Foyth, who attended the festival in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “Beloved,” and Valtholomei, who stars in Pathé’s ambitious two-part historical epic “De Gaulle.” The first film premiered at Cannes and has since made a huge comeback at the French box office. She was joined by Mr. Safai, president of Pathé Film, which produced the “De Gaulle” double series.

The gathering also spotlighted some of France’s major production and distribution companies. Nathanael Kermitz, Elisha Kermitz and Fionnuala Jamison represented the MK2 group, which screened 11 films at this year’s Cannes and won four awards, including the Grand Prix for Andrei Zvyagintsev’s The Minotaur, the Camera d’Or and the International Federation of Critics Award for Marie-Clémentine Desabejimbo’s Un Certain Regard, and the Grand Prix. Ami Paris attended Critics Week for Marin Atran’s ‘La Gradiva’.

Capton, which celebrated Media One’s 10th anniversary last month, just completed the acquisition of North Road, whose current hit “Backrooms” has grossed more than $331 million worldwide. He was accompanied by Elisabeth Darvieux, CEO of Media One Pictures. The company produced nine films at the Cannes Film Festival.

Vuelta co-founder Jérôme Levy also attended after the group’s label brought more than a dozen films to Cannes, including La Vénus électrique, Nakash’s Think Good and A Woman’s Life.
Juliette Schramek, a top producer whose credits include Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Values,” attended Cannes following a strong showing at Cannes, including Lukas Dhondt’s “Coward,” which won acting awards for its lead actors Emmanuelle Machias and Valentin Campagne, and Leila Malacki’s “Les Fraises,” which won the Un Certain Regard category.

Rassam, the producer of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” also joined after producing the second chapter of Paweł Pawlikowski’s Cannes Award-winning film “Fatherland.” He is currently finishing production on Lady Lee’s new film Dumas, which he is co-producing with Slab Films and Pathé Films. Kim Chapiron attended the dinner while preparing her next thriller, which is set in the secret world of beauty. He arrived with producers Gary Farkas, Olivier Muller and Clément Leputre. Their banner, Phantasm Group, joined luxury goods and lifestyle giant Independents in Cannes with James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” and Quentin Dupieux’s “Full Fill.”

Other guests included CNC Chairman Gaetan Bruel; Mr. Grégoire Chertok, a well-known investment banker and film enthusiast who received the Légion d’Honneur. UBBA co-founder Cecil Felsenberg attended UBBA along with several talents including Mr. Kane and Mr. Foyth. Melita Toscan du Plantier, president of the Marrakech Film Festival and producer of this year’s Oscar finalist “Homebound.”

Producer Rosa Attab was also in attendance, and his company January Films has upcoming projects lined up including Chris Andrews’ Cavendish, starring Sophie Thatcher and Joe Alwyn. Sophie Mass runs Mountain A with Natalie Portman and is involved in post-production on Lena Dunham’s “Good Sex.” Wasim Beji recently released Jan Ghozlan’s hit film ‘Guru’. Actor Elsa Zylberstein 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, including Dylan Reiner, executive vice president of acquisitions, production and business at Sony Pictures Classics. and Ama Ampadu, senior production and development executive at the BFI Film Production Fund.

Owned by Patou and Antoine Arnault, La Perouse opened in 1766 and became a favorite retreat for Paris’ intellectuals, drawing philosophers, novelists, artists, and later film directors to its richly decorated salons of red velvet, paintings, ornate ornaments, and crystal chandeliers. Elegantly renovated a few years ago by Dior House head Cordelia de Castellane, La Perouse was mentioned in Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time and was used as the backdrop for Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris.