After a challenging few years, Cannes Film Festival has returned with a bang, full of the glitz and glamour the world has come to expect.
And once again, IGY Vieux-Port de Cannes, a star venue for festivities during the event, witnessed the comings and goings of Hollywood’s finest, with celebrity-studded yacht parties unfolding alongside fashion shows, a slew of headline-grabbing premieres and glittering gala fundraisers.
The A-list arrived in droves, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Phoebe Waller Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen and Andie MacDowell just a few of the big names spotted in town during the past fortnight.
Harrison Ford arrived for the world premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – the fifth and final instalment – and appeared tearful as he stepped onstage to accept an honorary Palme d’Or award.
A bird’s eye view of the festival in full swing
All in all, 2023 will go down as a festival to remember, according to IGY’s Maddie Hagen. “The buzz this year has been insane,” she says. “In past years, Cannes Film Festival had dipped slightly in popularity but this year, it seems to have come back in force.
“We’ve had so many movie and pop stars in town…Johnny Depp was here for the opening film, and his daughter Lily Rose Depp and The Weeknd came with their new HBO show The Idol. “Dua Lipa and Donatella Versace also arrived to launch a capsule fashion collection they created together called La Vacanza.”
When asked why they chose to unveil this collection in Cannes, Donatella answered: “Cannes is the place for vacations, sun and the beach.”
IGY’s European Marketing Director Debbie Parsons-Randle agrees, adding: “It’s been incredible. The festival started to feel a bit stale and old school in recent years, but the film selection for this year has been on a different level and the celebrities in town have helped that elevation.”
BMW chooses Cannes for its marine space debut
IGY Vieux-Port de Cannes was the setting for a premiere of a slightly different kind too, as festival partner BMW unveiled their new state of the art E boat on one of the quays.
“They rented a space on one of our jetties to debut The Icon, their new 13.5m emissions-free boat, which water foils or floats slightly above the water,” explains Maddie. “They lined up around 30 BMW vehicles, each of which had a screen inside to tie in with the film festival theme, and they showed a video of the boat.
“It’s the first time BMW has stepped into the marine space and the fact that they chose to debut their new 100% emission-free boat here for its world premiere was very cool. Being a key sponsor of the film festival, hosting the BMW event was quite a coup for the port; the synergy was excellent.”
Superyacht icons lined up in the port
Naturally, the festival draws a diverse, high-powered collection of film lovers and movie insiders, all of whom are looking to secure the best spot in the marina. One of the regular returning vessels is 97m Vava 2, which was commissioned by Swiss entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli.