The Venice festival seems small when it comes to screenings and press conferences. They all take place within one kilometer on the Lido di Venezia. But all events combined require some serious island hopping and are not for the seasick, either. Travelling from the main city to the Giudecca, from Isola San Clemente to the new Marriott Hotel on the Lagoon means fast boats and steadfast footing.
A regular day at the Cinema Biennale? Doesn’t exist. Unless you count three ‘costume changes’, at least four boat rides and a bag that contains, among other necessities, sunscreen and mosquito spray. Journalists start their day early with a screening on the Lido, rush from there to the official press conference and may then have their own separate interviews. These, however, more often than not do not take place at the Hotel Excelsior, conveniently located across the street from everything else, but at Ca Giustinian, a historic building and museum on the Canal Grande or even at the legendary Hotel Cipriani, home away from home for the biggest stars attending the festival. And then there are additional events that may combine an interview with a meet & greet, as was the case for the HFPA members who jumped on three different taxi boats to Aquarello Ristorante on the island of San Clemente to spend two hours with the cast and director of Black Mass.
In the sweltering heat and 88% humidity Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton and director Scott Cooper stepped off their boats, all dressed in suits and some in ties. Dakota Johnson looked much cooler in a black summer dress, but at least, for Johnny it was not the sweat that bothered him: “I still have to shoot a few scenes for Pirates and these teeth are a pain”, he grinned, showing off rather colorful caps, two gold on the bottom, one engraved red one and a few more silver on the top. “It’s a pain to put them on, a pain to take them off and a pain to deal with them in between.” Wearing a hunter green suit jacket that “I found in Singapore”, he happily posed for photos showing us a winning smile and the six paparazzi on the two boats hovering at the landing – his backside. Another place for gatherings and interviews is the Villa Laguna that offers not only the Movie Star Lounge but also a breathtaking view across the lagoon and toward the city. Many films held their junkets there, utilizing the view as a backdrop: “I cannot even believe this is real!” said Ralph Fiennes who is in Venice to promote A Bigger Splash, the remake of the famous Romy Schneider/AlainDelon/Jane Birkin film from 1969, La Piscine. For Fiennes it was his third time at the festival in two decades: “I’m here with a regularity, every ten years!” he laughed: “In 1995, 2005 an now 2015.”
Big festival films and event coordinators are most likely to stick with the convenience of the Excelsior: the opening and closing night parties are held there, as was our lunch with Tom Hooper, Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander and the HFPA-reception. The Italians prefer the hotel Quattro Fontane and the Biennale Terrazza across from the Palazzo del Cinema. Parties for smaller films sometimes choose – shall we say interesting – locations: one Asian film crew celebrated last night in the abandoned former hospital that some claim is haunted although, for the more sophisticated eye, the rundown building looks more ghastly
than ghostly.
And then there are the three addresses where the biggest names can relax in private. The bar at the Hotel Cipriani is number one since many are staying there, including, this year, Johnny Depp with Amber Heard and Jake Gyllenhaal. A favorite spot is also Ristorante da Ivo in Venice, famous for the truffle dishes, where The Danish Girl gang held their private dinner after the premiere. And for a very late night, for the third year in a row, New York club queen Amy Sacco hosted her Bungalow 8 on the Grand Canal, this time at the Bauer Hotel. There the dolce far niente goes on until the sun comes up.
Elisabeth Sereda
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