Stars, Filmmakers Dance Night Away At Chanel Party

EXCLUSIVE: Surrounded by an array of superstar thespians, Charles Finch welcomed an array of stars and Hollywood’s mightiest studio chiefs to a “dysfunctional evening” also known as the annual pre- BAFTA Party hosted by Finch himself and the very nice people from Chanel.

With Dame Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment and Michael De Luca, co-chair and CEO of Warner Bros Motion Picture Group [there was such a throng at the 5 Hertford Street private members club in Mayfair, that I couldn’t see if co-chairperson Pam Abdy was there as well, and in any case, I’ve always wanted to write out her name] seated at the top table, Finch gave a full-throttled shout-out to cinema.

“Film will find its way like water, “ the writer-producer-publisher intoned to his guests.

“They can try and suppress it, they can change it, change the form of it … have optimism in that, no matter what happens with AI, the studio system…no matter what, it’s like a dream that finds it’s way. The story-telling format so important for our passion for cinema. This is an art form that is so important for preservation and for the communication to the human soul; cherish it.”

Looking around at the tightly-packed tables, with the likes of Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Jesse Plemons (Bugonia), Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), filmmakers Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Chloé Zhao (Hamnet), Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), Jafar Panahi (It Was Just An Accident), and Kleber Mendonça Filho (The Secret Agent), Finch blew the crowd a kiss.

“I would say, I love you,” he joked, “but I’m not American”.

He continued: “I like you and tolerate you and I will probably make love to some of you …”

As the man made clear from the start, the Finch and Chanel soiree is indeed a “dysfunctional evening”, but also a most beloved one, that’s now been going for thirty years.

Where else, are you going to find Coogler chatting away to director Doug Liman about budgeting or BAFTA chief executive Jane Millichip joshing with Bridgerton’s Regé -Jean Page about figure-skating at the Winter Olympics in Italy? 

Page will be on stage later in the year, in what could turn out to be an amazing new interpretation of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby directed by Michael Longhurst.

Mark Strong, escorting his film producer wife Liza Marshall (Hamnet), recently returned from New York, where he had starred with Lesley Manville, on Broadway in Robert Icke’s  take on Oedipus. Now the acclaimed actor is in Tom Ford’s new movie Cry to Heaven with a cast that includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ciarán Hinds, Owen Cooper, Thandiwe Newton, Nicholas Hoult, Colin Firth, Owen Cooper and George McKay.

Strong plays a cardinal who finds himself “somewhat conflicted” about his preferences. ”I can’t say more. I’ve told you too much already,” Strong  protests.

Ever since I saw Sentimental Value last May at the Cannes Film Festival, the film written by Trier and Eskil Vogt, has become one of my big favourites. I’ve watched it more times than I ever want to admit to in public. It’s about cinema, family, memory and love. What’s not to love? The film stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, and Elle Fanning. Beautiful, beautiful work from all three actors. But the revelation for me, the discovery even, was to see Norwegian Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, come into her own.

She arrived at Cannes a relative unknown, but on Saturday night in Mayfair, she walked into 5 Hertford Street a star.

Kristin Scott Thomas, star of Slow Horses, whispers that the production of The Cherry Orchard she and I chatted about last year, will now head into the West End in October. 

“Can’t wait to get back on stage,” the dame tells me.

Ian Rickson will direct her in a new adaptation of Chekhov’s classic by Conor McPherson. The theater and dates will be made known in good time.

Meanwhile, Thomas got into a deep conversation with GOT and Wednesday star Gwendoline Christie as Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski and vice chairman Jason Cassidy looked on. They’ve had a good year with Hamnet, Bugonia, Song Sung Blue, and the Ballad of Wallis Island.    

Cassidy was relieved that he didn’t have to go shopping for a black-tie suit and other attire as he had to last year, when a fire at the Chiltern Firehouse Hotel in Marylebone, where he’d been staying, wiped out his stuff.

That fire was a disaster for Netflix too. Top awards executive Lisa Taback had her luggage ruined as well. And, of course, the Chiltern Firehouse was home to the streamer’s annual post BAFTA bash that stars from every other studio ended up at well into the early hours of the morning. 

Claire Ingle-Finche and her team at Finch & Partners swung into action. The fire was on the Friday, by next day they’d booked The Twenty Two in Grosvenor Square for the Netflix Party, which is where it will be later tonight. I attended last year and managed to get home just after six in the morning. Actually, it was closer to seven. But I digress…

Also fun to see Chase Infiniti from One Battle After Another and Marty  Supreme’s Odessa A’Zion, Archie Madekwe, who’d been at the Independent Sprit Award with the film Lurker.

Industry’s Marisa Abela was at 5 Hertford partying with actor and playwright hubby Jamie Bogyo (The Testament of Ann Lee) who I first met when I interviewed him when he originated the role of Christian in the original West End production of Moulin Rouge. 

Bogyo tells me that he’s appearing with Andrew Scott in Simon Stone’s movie Elsinore, produced by Gaby Tana. It’s about when Ian Charleson (Chariots of Fire) was starring in director Richard Eyre’s production of Hamlet at the National Theatre in 1989 having taken over the Danish prince role at the last minute from Daniel Day Lewis. 

Earlier, I’d been at the National Gallery for the EE BAFTA nominees reception. It’s great looking at all the extraordinary art work that adorns the National’s walls. 

The thing that amuses me the most? Watching all the major stars and filmmakers race down the gallery’s steps, onto the sidewalk and into waiting limousines to whisk them to …5 Hertford Street for the “dysfunctional” party of the year.

 What larks.