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DAY 4 Recap: You Won't Believe What's In Store!
The evening of AFI FEST's Day 4 got off to a terrific start with an elegant pre-screening party and buffet pasta dinner at the Sunset Room to celebrate the World Premiere of Vadim Perelman's HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. Sipping a bubbly drink and looking dapper in a dark suit and red tie, Sir Ben Kingsley, who stars in the film with Jennifer Connelly, admitted to some pre-film jitters: "I'm a bit distracted because this is the first time I'll be seeing the finished film·so I'm feeling what every star feels before a big premiere·.I guess I'm normal."
Later, Kingsley joined other stars from the film, including Frances Fisher and Ron Eldard, in addition to Thora Birch, Joey Lauren Adams and Jon Favreau. Vince Vaughn showed up too, but he slipped through the side entrance to wait for Favreau to finish chatting up the press. Too bad, because he could have joined Jennifer Connelly. Connelly, who was attending sans husband Paul Bettany, was every inch the glamorous star in a grey and black lace skirt and a low cut satin bustier jacket. The red carpet festivities clearly did not calm the nerves of director Vadim Perelman, who, in his introduction to the film, said "This is like giving birth for me tonight."
We're not sure if Sebastien Rose, director of HOW MY MOTHER GAVE BIRTH TO ME DURING MENOPAUSE, felt the same way. But he did admit last night that the film was autobiographical, with, of course, a few embellishments. At a lively Q & A that followed the film, Rose told the audience that the awkwardness and comedy inherent in sex was something to be celebrated-because that's real life. As the Q & A drew to a close, fans demanded to know when they could see the movie again, and lined up to give Rose their kudos (and, perhaps, phone numbers).
Meanwhile, the debut of Laura Kightlinger's documentary SIXTY SPINS AROUND THE SUN generated excitement even before everyone sat down. Mike White and "where's the back door?" John C. Reilly were there. And nobody could miss the SEINFELD creator when an ecstatic fan yelled "That's Larry David. I love your show, man." After the screening, the audience greeted SIXTY's subject Randy Credico, a comic/drug law activist, with a standing ovation, effectively answering Kightlinger's opening question, "Does everybody just want to go home and go to bed?" with a definitive "No."
Earlier in the evening, at the screening of Iceland's Oscar submission, NOI ALBINOI, actor Tomas Lemarquis said that he and the film's director, Dagur Kári, go way back, explaining that they not only attended the same high school, but also "my ex-girlfriend was his cousin÷typical Iceland connection." Despite NOI's remote setting, Lemarquis felt that his character's desire to flee his stifling hometown was a universal urge. As to whether Noi succeeds: "You're supposed to make your own ending," said Lemarquis, who now lives in Paris.
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