marrakech film festival

Susan Sarandon's Spin on Business

It was a direct trip from Miami to Marrakech, where she had been promoting her ping pong club Spin at the international art fair. From a black rubber-covered ping pong table to another one in the middle of a swimming pool, Susan Sarandon had her first taste of Art Basel. "Miami's a little too happening for me," she explained, begrudgingly remembering the over-aggressive paparazzi. "I couldn't even go to Art Basel," she said with the paparazzi popping around every corner. "It took a lot of energy to be calm. They didn't know how to do their job. Usually they stop after awhile."

Things were a bit more relaxed in Marrakech, where Sarandon was brought to honor friend Harvey Keitel at the International Film Festival. Dressed in a relaxed black blouse, and wearing a safety pin as an earring her daughter had given to her, Sarandon admired the gorgeous library setting of the Royal Mansour, the King's recently opened hotel palace, rumored to be one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. From what we saw of it, it was hard to argue. We spoke to Ms. Sarandon in the library of the hotel, an intimate oak-paneled room, where the paneled-ceiling open up just in case a guest desired to read under the night's stars.

It was Sarandon's third time in Morocco, and second time at the festival, where she herself was honored in 2006. "I love the food, the people, the music," she said, "everything about it."

While continuing with acting roles here and there, Sarandon's real passion lately seems to be running a business. With Spin clubs already in New York, Milan and L.A., Sarandon has plans to open clubs in Berlin, London, and a larger club in Westwood, she told Luxist. "We've been talking about Marrakech now. Because we were at dinner and all these people were like, well I play in team Morocco." There's no doubt ping pong is a huge conversation starter for Sarandon. "I was saying it's kind of like a tattoo. When you show your tattoo everyone starts undressing to show you theirs." They've even been approached by a huge cruise ship line to bring the Spin concept to cruise ships.

Tags: marrakech film festival, susan sarandon

Continue reading “Susan Sarandon's Spin on Business”

Eva Mendes Dazzles in Prada in Marrakech

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Promoting her new film "Last Night," at the 10th Annual Marrakech International Film Festival, Eva Mendes trotted down the red carpet in a festive layered silk Mauve Prada dress, each row lined with Moroccan-inspired fringe. "I'm wearing a cake!" she laughed.

The infectious energy of the city seemed to have gotten to Mendes as she made her way into the Salle Royale at the Palais des Congres. She smiled obligingly to international press and locals who came by for a peak at the Hollywood actress amidst sky lights and booming festival music. "It's my first time," in Marrakech, she said, "and I'm totally in love."

Luxist asked Mendes what was the most exciting thing she's done in Marrakech all week. "Exciting...well I saw some belly dancers last night and now I'm really wanting some belly dancing lessons," she told us.

"I've heard music on the red carpet before but it's never sounded this good," she told reporters as a sounding Arabic dance number accompanied came on the speakers. "I really feel like dancing to this," she said launched into her trademark shuffle.

In "Last Night," the tale of a businessman with a wandering eye, Mendes plays the other woman to a married man (Sam Worthington). But if Marrakech is any indication of her future characters, expect some serious dance roles in her future.

My trip to Marrakech was sponsored by the FIFM, but the opinions in this story are my own.

Tags: eva mendes, marrakech film festival, prada

The Third Act of Francis Ford Coppola

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Francis Ford Coppola, just four days after wrapping his latest picture in Northern California, flew to the Marrakesh International Film Festival to share his knowledge of filmmaking with students at a special discussion at the Palais des Congres. Coppola is a rare talent in Hollywood, even rarer for his ability to create outside of the studio system. Luxist spoke to Coppola at a secluded library deep inside La Mamounia on how he's living his Third Act in life.

In what could be called his Second Act, Coppola was dealt a series of blows in big-budget productions, including a heavy legal battle with Warner Brothers over the rights to Pinocchio, and his abandoned utopian vision "Megalopolis." But it was only by delving into his businesses that he was finally able to find his true calling in cinema.

It was only after becoming incredibly successful through his hotel and wine endeavors that Coppola realized that his path was to write and direct deeply personal films in which he had complete control. "I looked at my daughter and I thought gee I taught her how to make a movie for $2-3 million. I can make a movie for $2-3 million. That's when I went off to Romania, very quietly, and made that first film."

The man who once rightly predicted film will go digital, swears by the new medium. Coppola is able to work under low budgets in order to finance his own films, nothing surpassing $7 million, often by working with new actors, and filming in locations where the exchange rate is favorable to the dollar. "I feel blessed. I mean how many filmmakers are given that blank check to say go make a film every year, two years?" he asked. Not many. And, if he ever finds himself without the means to make a movie, he says he'll use whatever resources he has available, even if it's merely an iPhone camera.

To be in such a position involves a fair amount of risk-taking, but even more so a sense of fearlessness. "I recognize in life from my own family, my own father, that people are obsessed with money and frightened about losing money. And somehow I never had that attitude," he said. "I never hesitated to put up my own money or lose money. And I did lose money. I bought the studio in Hollywood. I spent ages 40-50 paying back the Chase Manhattan bank, a big loan that I owed them. So I don't think you can live your life in fear of whether you're going to have money or whether you're not going to have money."

Tags: film, francis ford coppola, marrakech film festival

Continue reading “The Third Act of Francis Ford Coppola”

Gael Garcia Bernal on the Past, Present and Future of Cinema

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Actor, Producer, and Director Gael Garcia Bernal came to Marrakech to serve on the jury of the 10th annual festival, which brought together cinema from Morocco to Mexico. "It's incredible to be here, isn't it?" he announced, greatly enjoying the relaxed vibe of the festival. Bernal, who recently served on juries in Berlin and Cannes, seemed right at home in Marrakech, enjoying the city amidst his festival duties. "I had some time off and I was very happy to come and play around."

Among his many duties, besides critically viewing 14 films in competition, was to entertain the questions of the international press gathered. After Eva Mendes, a special guest of the festival spoke to journalists on how Latinos and other ethnic roles are very underrepresented in the film industry, Bernal replied, "Well maybe she should work in Latin America."

"I wold never play a Finnish guy, even though I look like one," he jested. "They would never call me because of my accent." To play devil's advocate on the topic, Bernal asked, "Do we expect films to be democratic? In a way, that gives a moral stature to films that they shouldn't have. Films should be completely free. If you finance a film in Mexico, no one's going to tell you 'we're not going ethnic.'"

I sat down with Bernal at the famous La Mamounia hotel to discuss just why Mexican cinema is at the forefront of international film, beyond the sheer talent of its actors and directors. When Amores Perros converged onto the international scene in 2000, "it was a very interesting moment in cinema in the world, because there weren't so many surprises," he said.

Tags: gael garcia bernal, marrakech, marrakech film festival

Continue reading “Gael Garcia Bernal on the Past, Present and Future of Cinema”