The Scenestress at SFF’s finale weekend
April 7th, 2009 by The Scenestress in Arts, News, Sarasota-Manatee
THURSDAY, APRIL 2 – SATURDAY, APRIL 4 — 11TH ANNUAL SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL, SARASOTA
Looking out at the sparkling gulf waters on Sunday afternoon, I pause to reflect on the weekend that was. The refreshing bay breeze clears my foggy head after a weekend of Film Fest frivolity and fun. The Late Night Wrap Party was certainly quite the note to end it on…
I happened to arrive at Ceviche just as Mr. Steve Buscemi did. He looks sort of like death warmed over, but was very gracious when I asked to take his picture. Also heading up to the VIP lounge was Stanley Tucci, decked out with a blonde in a short dress. (My date was observant enough to note that you could see up her skirt from the first floor — charming.)
Of course the next stop was the bar for a little Szam-balama-ding-dong and then to the roof, where most of the crowd was congregated. It was a beautiful night and the crowd a diverse mix of young ’uns, press, notable names, and certified hot messes (see photos).
Jon Voight was the only celeb with enough courage to brave the crowds outside the VIP mezzanine. He hit up the fourth floor, sangria in hand, to mix it up with the people for a bit. After that, things began to deteriorate into all-out party mode pretty quickly (to be expected for an event that begins at 11:37 p.m.) and we drank and danced until the wee hours. I felt the need to really break loose and have some fun after the previous night’s rather lame Night of a Thousand Stars.
The courtyard at Michael’s on East was packed when I arrived, making it difficult to navigate my way to a bar (priorities!). The celebs were velvet-roped-off on the raised back area being interviewed and photographed while us plebs milled through the rest of the maze-like setup. It only took 30 minutes of fighting with the crowds for me to decide to leave this party for the comforts of home.
The Luncheon Under the Banyans was a very nice event, however. The Film Fest was honoring Bill Paxton with a “career achievement award,” and the event was heavily attended by Sarasota’s society fixtures and members of the press. Walking across the beautiful lawn of the Selby Gardens a waiter almost immediately greeted me with a glass of champagne (don’t mind if I do!) and showed me to my table.
I was lucky enough to sit with the press boys from New York, who kept things quite entertaining with snarky quips left and right (SFF President Mark Famiglio’s speech full of Paxton puns certainly didn’t help matters). I enjoyed the delicious Cobb salad from Michael’s (with mango, mmmm) and watched society mavens navigate the tables in tight dresses (and tighter faces) till Paxton took the stage to receive his award in a very smart plaid vest.
Paxton had also hit up the Cabana the previous eve for an unofficial Film Fest karaoke night (Carrie the bartender complained that he walked off with her sharpie). I was surprised by how packed the place was. The FF crew was there in force belting out terrible renditions of standbys like Weezer’s “Say it Ain’t So.” I didn’t stay long, knowing the serious weekend of events I had ahead of me, and looking back on it all today I’m glad I escaped when I did.
Thinking back over the weekend I conclude that I did enjoy my sojourn into the world of Hollywood. The red carpets and flashbulbs were quite fun for a weekend, and it was great to see Sarasotans bring their A-game for these weeks of star-power. Don’t worry: The Scenestress will see you again next year.
View the full photo gallery from the weekend on The Scenestress’ Facebook Page.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
[...] one, we chat about our complete redesign of the newspaper before wrapping up our coverage of the Sarasota Film Festival parties with our anonymous society editor, The Scenestress, in the studio as a special guest for the second [...]
April 15th, 2009 at 9:45 am
[...] However, I decided to honor my promise to myself that I would stay in this weekend after so many SFF parties over the last several weeks. But it was not an easy decision. I was bummed to miss the Epic Future [...]