In 1997, Caroline Scheufele, the president and artistic director of Chopard and a passionate film enthusiast, landed at the Cannes Film Festival bringing with her not diamonds but chocolate. “My father told me I had no budget,” she deadpanned to a laughing crowd. To spread the name of her family’s business, she flooded the event with sweet Swiss treats. Twenty-seven years later, her notoriety has certainly changed. Chopard’s name, and its dazzling jewelry, are nearly synonymous with the annual event and its series of black tie premieres. As one of the Cannes Film Festival’s most prominent partners, Chopard and Scheufele have their hands full blinging out the bulk of the event’s attendees, and organizing the Trophée Chopard awards. At this year’s swank soirée on May 17, Scheufele told the crowd that on her first trip to Cannes she went to a screening every night. “My heartache today is that I’ve seen no movies so far,” she continued, “but I will!”
Despite her packed schedule, Scheufele’s support of cinema, and its young talent in particular, is a top priority. For 23 years, the house has awarded the Trophée Chopard to young actors who have made a promising start to their careers. It’s an honor that seems to be pretty predictive. Past awardees have included Marion Cotillard, Florence Pugh, and Léa Seydoux, just to name a few. This year’s winners, Australian star of Talk to Me, Sophie Wilde and American Mike Faist, fresh off his buzz from Challengers, were introduced by their Chopard-appointed “Godmother,” the singular Demi Moore.
In the presence of a chic and star-studded crowd, that included Greta Gerwig, Eva Green, Lily Gladstone, Vicky Krieps, Eva Longoria, and Carla Bruni, Moore, wearing an aquamarine Balenciaga mermaid gown and stunning Chopard collar, riffed on her duties as a godmother. “In my country it kind of means that you have no responsibility,” she joked. “But remember as your godmother, I’m here for more than just the fun stuff, and you don’t have to do it all alone,” she earnestly told the honorees. Wilde, for her part, was thrilled not just by her award but by the glitz of the evening. “Demi! What an icon! It’s just so sick!” she candidly squealed during her acceptance speech.
After the dinner and ceremony, where guests were treated to a two Michelin-star meal and plenty of champagne, the bejeweled crowd made its way to an after-party on the Chopard Rooftop at the historic Hotel Martinez. There, they mingled and danced the night away to 1960s Italian music and British pop rock. It was a fitting end to another glamorous evening along the Cannes Croisette.