Barrière Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Deauville American Film Festival
Just as the Venice International Film Festival closes its doors, the Deauville American Film Festival opens its own. Marking the 50th anniversary of the Normandy festival, this year’s edition is set to offer an even greater showcase for cinema and cultural exchange. Paying tribute to the festival that launched his career, James Gray opened the evening with an emotional speech, followed by Joy and Alexandre Barrière’s appearance, who awarded the Prix d’Honneur to Michael Douglas for his long filmography. We didn’t fail to see the friendly handshake between Douglas and Benoît president of the Palmarès jury, surrounded by Elias Belkeddar, Damien Bonnard, Martin Bourboulon, Émilie Dequenne, Lou Lampros, Agathe Riedinger and Ludivine Sagnier.
This year, Deauville has treated us with a star-studded line-up, twelve films in competition, a parallel programme of 80 legendary films at three screening venues and the ever-renewed pleasure of strolling through the unspoilt streets of this jewel of a town. Deauville is in full swing, from the beach to the legendary Normandy and the royal palaces, not to mention the Casino Barrière, which hosted the opening dinner in the splendid Salle des Ambassadeurs. Michelin-star chef Pierre Gagnaire was in charge of the menu for the evening, which was rounded off by JAIN’s performance. The night moved on to the O2 Sofa Bar, where an after-party organised in partnership with Say Who brought all the VIPs together.
During this exceptional event, we had the pleasure of meeting many jury members and celebrities, including Michael Douglas, Vincent Elbaz, Julie Gayet, Augustin Trapenard, Alexandre Desplat, and Laurent Gerra, to name but a few.
Photos: Jean Picon
