FEATURE REVIEWS

“Art and Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.” ~ Vivienne Westwood

At the height of luxury, Festival de Cannes, the 10th Edition of the Climate Change Forum in Paris, Sustainable Swim Week International - S2wim and ArtBasil coinciding with Art Basel this coming December in Miami. The juxtaposition between fine art, fashion and environmental sustainability illuminates a creative local to global renaissance.

These events embrace an extremely specific kind of zeitgeist: The gravitas of activism with stunning displays of inspired ingenuity, both artistic and scientific, backed by banker ‘bro’ capital. The allure of ‘conscious’ gatherings today invites the discerning public and distinguished glitterati to participate in a groundswell of environmental advocacy. Extinction is forever, after all.

This May, the fabled azure Mediterranean coastline and the “City of Light” invited designers, their couture collections, film aficionados, and financiers to participate in exclusive occasions that represent our best hope for staving off climate catastrophe - an event which will impact all living beings.

Cannes 2024 Photos

Commencing with the Cannes Film Festival, Planet Fashion TV’s Creative Director Celia Evans curated a ‘green’ carpet gala and awards ceremony. Hugging the curve of the glittering Cote d’Azur, the newly imagined Carlton Hotel showcased designs by La Metamorphose™. There was a palette of textiles of oceanic colors evoking shimmering swells, fantastic froth and waves inspired by often endangered marine habitats. Adornments by Knauf Jewels by Nathalie Knauf melded art and aspiration with an abundance of organic color. An appearance by Laura Mancini, Creative Director for Middle East Fashion Week, spotlighted her capsule collections, inspired by planet and people.

Created in 1946 to celebrate cinema by rewarding the year’s best films, the Festival de Cannes is a lightning rod for ‘movies with a message,' presenting a display of ecoconscious couture with financial underpinnings. Planet Fashion TV embraces the Cannes Marche environmental policy, standing with the Paris Accord on climate. This year signaled another full tilt engagement in a ‘quantified reduction trajectory’. In simpler terms, the Cannes Fest relies on scientific facts from the indisputable IPCC (United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Mandates include waste management, controlling pollution and energy consumption, raising awareness and responsible purchasing.

Later in May, environmental luminaries flocked to Paris for the 10th iteration of the Climate Change Forum, founded by uber impresario Max Studennikoff. Max was in top form, in full recovery from a death-defying auto accident that occurred on the commencement day of the CC-Forum - COP28 Dubai Edition in November of 2023. While the “Ville Lumière” was frantically preparing for the Summer Olympics, the CC-Forum occurred in an enchanting location, Recent CC-Forums have taken place in the City of Bahrain, London, and, most recently, Dubai, where an estimated 85,000 delegates were in attendance.

The InterContinental LeGrand, opposite Paris L'Opera, invited the well-heeled and environmentally earnest to join investors in sustainable ventures. “The CC-Forum can best be described as a masterclass in how to resolve the Earth and society's most urgent challenges,” Lakhi Singh – Head of Acquisitions for Unified Health Group in support of Venti Quattro Ecosystem said.

“At the nexus of environmentally conscious elegance, grace and decorum, the Intercontinental Grand served as a swoonworthy backdrop,“ Holmes Stoner, distinguished ‘Ambassador at Large’ and Founder of Green Alliance International PacRimCC.com stated.

“Here is where the African, North and South American, Middle Eastern, Asian, and European sovereign wealth communities, delegations of futuristic scientists, those advancing the multi-media arts, dignitaries and thought leaders (in the private and government sectors) build on a foundation of positive change while inspiring hope,” Founder and Creative Director Max Studennikoff remarked.

“Investment in game-changing environmental and social impact solutions, innovation and diffusion of technological and humane initiatives drive the CC-Forum," His Royal Imperial Highness Prince San dor Habsburg-Lothringen, Archduke of Austria noted. “A rich networking experience where investment accords are ceremoniously signed while advancing fundamental understanding and profitable implementation in the business arena aims at empowering innovative sustainable industry while assuring an optimum quality of life for all living beings,” Max Studennikoff shared. The robust program presented panels, workshops, pitch meetings, and enthusiastic repartee beyond borders and economic divides. HRIH Prince Sandor Habsburg-Lothringen Archduke of Austria, Lord Marland of Odstock, Chairman of the Commonwealth Investment Committee, Jochen Wermuth, Partner at EU ClimaTech Scale Up Fund, Per Wimmer, Head of Wimmer Financials, Milson Januario and Francesca Giobbi, the masterminds behind Freedom eE were among the distinguished speakers at CC Forum alongside the stars of the black tie Gala Dinner & Awards Giving Ceremony, which included soprano Erminie Blondel, tenor Kevin Amiel and the Ukrainian-Swiss violinist Anastasiya Petryshak.

The Gala included participation from Hollywood legend Jean Claude Van Damme, Congo’s Ambassador, who received a prestigious CC Forum award for his contributions in preserving the Congo river basin. This was an appearance which took place by video because the star was unable to attend the event in person. The CC Forum in Paris was a major stepping stone towards an upcoming event in Brazil, which will take place back-to-back with COP30 next year. Much of the agenda of the conference and the gala related to Amazonia and reforestation. The Gala hosted a group of indigenous people from Amazonia along with a dedicated sustainable fashion show spearheaded by Andrea Funaro. Curated for engagement, the CC-Forum is a clarion call for all of us to remain steadfast in our resolve to foment global change for the better.

“We need to get rid of incrementalism and excessive consumption, replacing it with a paradigm shift that will create a sustainable impact. Consume Less. Share More," Yvo Timmermans of Earthwise.Ventures emphasized. Their youthful company is building on a foundation that advances a people-friendly brand of climate optimism.

Superior Technical Commission

The CST AWARD FOR BEST ARTIST-TECHNICIAN is granted to DARIA D’ANTONIO, Director of Photography on Paolo Sorrentino’s film PARTHENOPE

The 2024 CST award for best artist-technician is granted to Daria d’Antonio, director of photography on Paolo Sorrentino’s film, “Parthenope”. Daria’s images offer the perfect cinematography to Parthenope with grace and beauty.;

The CST AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG FEMALE FILM TECHNICIAN is granted to EVGENIA ALEXANDROVA, Director of Photography on THE BALCONETTES by Noémie Merlant

The jury of the 2024 CST Award for Best Young Female Film Technician is proud to grant this year’s prize to Evgenia Alexandrova, director of photography on Noémie Merlant’s film “The Balconettes” for the quality of her saturated colours and her assertive management of the lighting which transports us from comedy to genre.