News For the ninth consecutive year, Chopard lent its name to the Cannes film festival. Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele made honorary citizen of the south of France town.
From 17 to 28 May, watchmaker and jeweller Chopard accompanied one of the planet’s most media-friendly events: the 59th Cannes Film Festival. Not a day went by without several stars climbing the famous red-carpeted steps adorned with jewellery from the workshops of the Geneva based manufacturer, from Audrey Tautou to Zang Ziyi and, in between, the likes of Andy McDowell, Gina Rowland, Penelope Cruz, Virginie Ledoyen, Eva Herzigova, Emmanuelle Béart or for example Diane Kruger, Cécile de France and Carmen Maura.
But in Cannes, Chopard is also and above all the designer of cinema’s most coveted award, the Palme d'or, won this year by British film-maker Ken Loach for his film The Wind That Shakes The Barley, and, since 2000, two mini-palmes awarded to best actor and best actress. The latter were attributed in a highly original way this year, since the first was won by the ensemble of actresses in Pedro Almodovar’s film Volver and the second by the group of actors in Rachid Bouchared’s movie Indigènes.
Grand entrances and prizes aside, Chopard also held a number of receptions in Cannes, for example the traditional gala of the AIDS prevention association AMFAR which this year assembled an incredible cast of stars, including Sharon Stone and Elton John, or the presentation of actress Elizabeth Hurley’s new collection of swimwear.
The evening of 20 May was reserved for the trophy awards ceremony. Each year since 2001, these awards have been presented to a particularly promising young actor and actress. After Audrey Tautou and Eduardo Noriega in 2001, Paz Vega, Ludivine Sagnier and Hayden Christensen in 2002, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diane Kruger in 2003, Marion Cotillard and Rodrigo Santoro in 2004 and Kelly Reilly and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in 2005, the 2006 prize winners were the young American Kevin Zegers and the ravishing Italian actress Jasmine Trinca, to whom the awards were presented by Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, vice-president of Chopard, and Gilles Jacob, president of the Cannes Film Festival. To encourage them in their burgeoning careers, some prestigious promoters were on hand: Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley.
After planning a career as an archaeologist, it was by chance and "to see" that Jasmine Trinca entered the world of cinema. Nor did she enter by the back door, since she made her debut with a small role in La chambre du fils by Nanni Moretti, winner of the Palme d’or at the 2001 Cannes Festival. With each new film her passion has grown and she has nurtured her acting skills. As a result, her name has appeared on the credits of some of the finest films and biggest trans-Alpine successes: from Manuel d’amour by Giovanni Veronesi to Nos meilleures années by Marco Tullio Giordana, as well as Romanzo criminale by Michele Placido and The Caïmano, again by Nanni Moretti, officially in competition at Cannes this year, in which she plays a young scriptwriter-director who tries her luck.
For his part, Kevin Zegers began his career at the age of seven playing the child role of Michael J. Fox’s character in Life with Mickey. After several other films, at the age of 13 he played a mentally handicapped boy in the very fine film It Came From The Sky, before becoming one of the main characters in the Titans series. His most prominent role remains undoubtedly his portrayal in 2005 of a young homosexual prostitute in Transamerica. He has just finished filming a romantic comedy, It’s a Boy Girl Thing, produced by Elton John and David Furnish.
Last but not least, the 27th of May will be remembered as a high point in the history of Chopard: after nine years of partnership, Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele had the honour and the pleasure of being named an honorary citizen of Cannes, in recognition of her commitment and participation in the Festival’s exceptional development. A boon for her in the run-up to the 60th edition!
June 14, 2006
