Inside The Hollywood Reporter’s Cannes Issue Party at Salama – The Hollywood Reporter

The social calendar during the Cannes Film Festival is always a dizzying array of black-tie dinners, informal cocktail parties overlooking the stunning French Riviera and exclusive late-night bashes that often don’t end before daybreak.

On Thursday evening, The Hollywood Reporter entered the mix with a chic early evening gathering to celebrate the publication’s Cannes Issue, a jam-packed weekly magazine that featured special sections dedicated to Legends of the Croisette like Ken Loach, Nanni Moretti, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Nuri Bilge Ceylan; an inaugural list of the top 40 Most Influential Women in International Film; and THR’s Cannes Rising Stars like Charles Melton and Lily Gladstone.

The event took over Salama, a lush hideaway that is positioned at the end of Rue Florian, a stone’s throw from the crush of festival foot traffic. The menu is Moroccan meets Mediterranean flair and the food, vibes and design have made it a major draw in the city since it opened last year. The original outpost is located in St. Tropez, where it remains one of the hottest restaurants in one of Europe’s hottest summer vacation spots. Salama in Cannes has already this week hosted Steve McQueen for a luncheon to celebrate his documentary Occupied City and will later open its doors to Cate Blanchett and her collaborators on New Boy for a party in partnership with Armani.

Back to the party: More than 100 guests mixed, mingled and toasted the launch of this year’s festival while also taking a moment to celebrate the accomplishments of those who found their way into this year’s pages of THR’s issue.

“It’s amazing and actually a bit of a double bravo with The Hollywood Reporter because our company, Elevation Pictures, is having its 10th anniversary at [Toronto International Film Festival] and we’re being featured in The Hollywood Reporter‘s Banff issue as the number one distributor in Canada. Then, come to find out, that I’m also one of the Top 40 International Women in Film is amazing,” gushed co-president Laurie May. “I am really, really honored.”

May continued by saying that being singled out ranks among the other high points of her life, including snagging a spot on the TIFF board and being asked to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

“Obviously, it also means a lot to be singled out alongside this group of esteemed women; it’s really important for women to be recognized for the work they do,” concluded May. It’s also important for people to kick back and take a moment for celebration during a hectic Cannes. “It’s a perfect party. Brilliant Consulting, which produced this party, does all the best events. It helps that the rain that’s been falling the past few days is not here right now. We’re blessed with blue skies and the party has great energy, a nice vibe and it’s nice to see The Hollywood Reporter supporting women and the whole industry.”