Moguls on a Boat at Cannes: TheWrap’s Guide to Captains of the Cote d’Azur

Harvey Weinstein is among the power players that will take to the sea during the festival

Illustration by R.J. Matson for TheWrap

At Cannes, missile-defense systems, anti-paparazzi lasers, bulletproof windows and escape submarines protect the billions bobbing out in the bay on some of the super yachts too big for port. Add an oceanic moat playing the part of a velvet rope, and the festival party scene presents a reverse Alcatraz: everyone trying to get on.

Jockeying for parking spots on the lot is nothing compared to securing one of the super-sized berths up for grabs in the Vieux Port by the Palais. Festival application season began before Thanksgiving.

Also read: Cannes Parties: 11 Hottest Invites at the Festival

Here’s a brief dossier on four captains of the Cote d’Azur.

LEN BLAVATNIK
Last year’s opening Sunday lunch with Harvey on the 160 ft. floating mansion named after Blavatnik’s birthplace, the Odessa, had Les Moonves, Keanu Reeves, Rooney Mara and philanthropists like Elton John’s partner, David Furnish. Others have rented it for about $250,000 a week, which is walking-around money for the Forbes lister whose taste for music led to buying Warner Music and having Joss Stone perform at sea last festival.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN
He is the sun in every festival’s social and business galaxy. Harvey doesn’t need a boat — all his best friends have them. On Friday he held his annual “upfront”: a presentation with clips of his upcoming slate and graced by the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Naomi Watts and Eva Green. Look for them on somebody’s boat later tonight…

RON BURKLE
Burkle has a resume in elite hospitality. In addition to buying stakes in the global Soho House brand and Morgan’s Hotel Group, he’s been a financial partner to the Weinstein Co. (“August: Osage County”) and mini-mogul Ryan Kavanaugh‘s Relativity (“Out of the Furnace”). So don’t be surprised to see Harvey or Ryan Kavanaugh as his first mates. (Kavanaugh is holed up at his usual digs at the Hotel du Cap in Cap d’Antibes, but the nice thing about that place is the yachts pull right up to the property.)

PAUL ALLEN
Allen’s big-boy bath toys–the Octopus, Tatoosh, the Super Bowl trophy–are the biggest and shiniest. With Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Bono, Goldie Hawn, Jodie Foster, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, the Os- car-winning Alfonso Cuaron and moguls like Barry Diller and Brad Grey on deck in past years, the onboard scene is A-list. Guests may also be coming Allen’s frequent gig on guitar with his onboard house band.

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