As promised, I will share highlights from last night’s experience aboard Paul G. Allen’s yacht, “Octopussy”. In a word - WOW! I was in awe of the beauty and expanse of the yacht, the guest list, and the food and beverage spread which included a sushi bar, Japanese grill, sakitini bar, Chinese food bar, and endless champagne. A few of the guests that I met on board: Chris Tucker, Meg Ryan, Benecio del Toro, Kevin Spacey, Tim Burton, Cuba Gooding Jr., and the man, himself, Paul G. Allen. We also took a tour of inside of the yacht and were quite impressed with the film screening room, massage room, glass bottom floor 30 feet below the water’s surface, submarine, and helicopter pad. I was also very excited to see the art in the yacht, which included Andy Warhorl, Leichtenstein, Dale Chihuly, and a pair of carved coast Salish cedar paddles by BC artist Troy Bellerose. However, the biggest highlight of the evening was when we got to personally thank Paul Allen for his support of Longhouse Media’s nonprofit work with a grant from his Paul G. Allen Foundation. Tracy was also able to give Paul a copy of “UNRESERVED: The Work of Louie Gong” so that he can see it in his screening room!
Our screening today was hectic. The screening before ours ran over time and left us with barely enough time to show our film, much less have any time for Q&A. It’s a good thing that it is also in the Digital Film Library in the Short Film Corner for everyone to see over the entire course of the Festival de Cannes.
The afternoon was spent getting some much needed (and deserved) rest and relaxation on the beach in front of the American Pavilion. Next up, a screening and party to honor Women in Film…
