And other get-togethers across town.
Read MoreMore to love from the Doha Film Institute at this year's Venice Film Fest
This year there are 12 Doha Film Institute supported films in the lineup on the Lido, plus the DFI is hosting a special afternoon and even a gala dinner celebrating their achievements in the world of cinema and art.
Read MoreMalaysian Tan Chui Mui and Argentinian Laura Citarella are 2024 Miu Miu Women's Tales directors
A yearly appointment at the Venice Film Festival, fashion brand Miu Miu, also a Creative Partner of Giornate degli Autori, has once again sponsored two women filmmakers in the creation of a short film each, about women and their world; the shorts will screened during the upcoming festival, with their directors and casts in attendance.
Read MoreThe DPA Gift Suite returns to the Croisette and it's a must-visit
For those lucky enough to be VIPs and on Nathalie Dubois’ list, a stop by the Marriott is a yearly event we anticipate with bated breath.
Read MoreHow to make your life more 'Ripley' like...
Without the messy murders, of course!
Read MoreHala Matar's 'Electra' world premieres, at this year's Santa Barbara IFF
And is worth a watch.
Read MoreMy top films of 2023? Too many to list, but here's five gems to take us into 2024
Instead of making a “best films of 2023” list, I’m just going to name a few gems, which can take us seamlessly into the new year.
Read MoreThe Doha Film Institute's Qumra 2021 goes global with its virtual edition
For film insiders the Qumra event — held once a year in Doha, Qatar and bringing together industry experts and filmmakers from all over the world — was always a highly anticipated time to put on our calendars. But in the age of pandemic, where we need all the inspiration we can get to simply continue onward, Qumra has become a lifeline.
Read MoreLessons learned from cinema and beyond: a wrap-up of the Rome Film Festival
There were films, fashion and public conversations with cinema celebrities. But beyond the red carpets, this year's Festa del cinema di Roma proved a meeting point for understanding the world around us, and sharing thoughts with like-minded people from faraway lands. Here is my personal diary of a wonderful event held in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Read MoreThe Cannes 2019 Diaries: Films that broke my heart and Luca Guadagnino's Valentino project
There has been a certain je ne sais quoi in the air here in Cannes, and I wasn’t able to quite put my finger on it. It bothered me, someone always good at defining a moment, person or place, that I couldn’t put that feeling into words. Then I attended the press conference for Luca Guadagnino’s ‘The Staggering Girl’ and I had a ‘EUREKA!” moment. So bear with me for a moment while I get to that…
Read MoreThe London Diaries: 'Christian Dior Designer of Dreams', and why style has nothing to do with money
What I found most interesting during my visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum, to view their latest fashion exhibit, was how my fellow visitors decided to dress for it. While Christian Dior as a brand has been known for impeccable, lady-like style since 1946, in 2019 London I was surrounded by a cacophony of sloppy, unkempt and dull outfits, worn by women who didn’t give their mirror a second look before leaving their homes/hotels/offices that day. And some men, trust me guys, you didn’t fare that well either.
Read MoreInspired: Highlights from the 2019 International Film Festival Rotterdam
I’d long heard about the Rotterdam International Film Festival and yet had never personally been here. IFFR will hereafter be a much craved stop on my itinerary of world cinema events. I can’t wait to see what next year has in store.
So what makes this cinephiles’ festival filled with independent gems, languid culture-filled days and inspiring evening talks by the masters so addictive? Well, that — what I just said. Turns out there is no festival in the world quite like IFFR.
And here are a few favorites of mine from this year’s edition.
Read MoreIf it's Kumbh Mela time, it's orange clothing time!
The historic Kumbh Mela is now ongoing in India and so my taste turns naturally to orange, be it Pantone’s Dusty Orange or saffron, or even a darker coral tone.
So I looked at what designers showed for Spring Summer 2019 and here are a few colorful options to get into the spiritual mood. You know, wear me some saffron robes of my own. Or not.
Read MoreThe Cairo International Film Festival Diaries: And to think I almost missed this!
One of the most beautifully mysterious actors of our time, Mr. Ralph Fiennes will be in Cairo, presenting his latest directorial project ‘The White Crow’ — about a childhood idol of mine, ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev — and for a conversation with the audience inside the massive Cairo Opera House. Moderated by yours truly.
It’s a momentous event, but I almost missed it.
Read MoreCity of Fragrances, Part Two: Scents, Art and Sensibility
Sight and sound are definitely a part of our earliest memories. They say children can remember only from the age of three and a half upward and I have to say, my first memory has to do with sticking my finger in the electric socket and feeling the jolt. I remember feeling like someone had pushed me and apparently — this is my parents’ memory of the event — I ran to the living room crying holding my index finger, utterly frightened.
But how much does scent, the smells around us, have to do with our individual memory bank? Personally, I can’t help but remember my favorite uncle Pippo every time I smell a certain brand of cigarette smoking up the air. And I go back to my childhood quickly, as soon as I step off the train in Florence and smell the city’s distinctive scent of, well how do I put it nicely, sewer… Just recently I was told why that smell is so intrinsically Florentine and it has to do with the lack of a sewage system dating back to Medici time. Apparently, every time the system fills up, giant trucks come to gather up the goodies and carry them away. There are serious studies done on it!
So it’s no surprise that the Florentines were some of the first people to use scents, ambiance fragrances and perfume to change the air around them.
Read MoreCity of Fragrances, Part One: Florence at the scent-er of this year's Pitti Fragranze
This year, the iconic once-a-year fragrance fair Pitti Fragranze, which is held in Florence every September, incorporated the entire city into its scent design. Thus, in the process, let the select audience of buyers and journalists that attended the event, in on the secret nooks and crannies of the great renaissance town. From the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, to the church of San Miniato al Monte, from the center to the outskirts, Florence became the “City of Fragrances” and in the process, reclaimed its scent, health and beauty heritage.
Following are a few personal highlights from this incredible journey of scent.
Read MoreThe Venice Diaries: Bruce Weber paints a daring portrait of Robert Mitchum in 'Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast'
As I sat down to meet legendary fashion photographer Bruce Weber I said "Mr. Weber, I can't say I grew up with your photographs because I'm older than I look, but I definitely grew into my sexuality thanks to your iconic images." It's true. Those NYC billboards in Times Square of underwear models for Calvin Klein, the Ralph Lauren "out of Africa" campaign, Kate Moss in the bathtub, the beach scenes, the catalogues I devoured before the advent of the internet, I grew into my skin thanks to Weber's images.
Today, Weber has helped me to rediscover the beauty and genius of classic American actor Robert Mitchum. 'Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast' screens at the Venice Film Festival in the Venice Classics section and is co-produced by Weber's wife Nan Bush. In the documentary, Mitchum is shown as never before, a singer, a lover and a poet, aided in part by cameos by Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Polly Bergen, Brenda Vaccaro and Liam Neeson, among many many more.
So why a film about Mitchum, why from Weber and why now?
Read MoreThe Qumra Diaries: The life lessons learned and great persons met, thanks to the Doha Film Institute
As of my very first steps at this year's Qumra, around the Souq Waqif, spent inside the Date Market fair and eating a bowl of fragrant Moroccan fava bean soup at a nearby restaurant, to my very last moments wandering inside the Hamad International Airport drinking an espresso with a fellow journalist, Doha gave me the very best she has to offer. And that's pretty darn sensational in a country that can count culture, fashion and heritage at the top of its list of priorities.
From the brand new, still partly in construction National Museum of Qatar rising out of the sands, and shaped like a Desert Rose, the crystallized rock that is formed when lighting hits the dunes, to the institution of the Museum of Islamic Art, where most of the Qumra events and masterclasses are held, to the leisurely, harass-free environment of the Souq itself, I felt like I was being coddled in a cocoon of culture and learning, one that would definitely remain with me for months to come.
Read MoreThe Qumra Diaries: Brigitte Lacombe and the power of a photograph
I know that a Diaries series is meant to go chronologically, yet there are moments when the rules need to be broken.
For me, hearing master photographer and longtime Doha Film Institute collaborator Brigitte Lacombe talk about cinema and fashion from a photographic point of view was one such moment. I could not wait to get home and write about the pleasant afternoon I spent in her company -- along with a theater-full of attendees of this Qumra talk -- and her sister's, video photographer Marian Lacombe.
Read MoreBe an insider thanks to La Maison Dior: Live Stream their A/W 2018-19 Ready-To-Wear show
Doesn't get much better than sitting in the front row of the hottest show in town, for this season's Paris Fashion Week. Yes, I'm talking to you.
Maria Grazia Chiuri has made Christian Dior hot and hip again and personally, there is nothing I adore more than her "J'Adior" ribbons, whether on shoes or bags or even worn as bangles.
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