The industry expert talks about his favorite meals, mistakes, and his most interesting celebrity encounter.
Col Needham, the founder of IMDb, is back at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
Before the festival starts, he shared some of his best and worst experiences in Cannes with THR. He also gave his opinion on reporting the length of standing ovations at movie premieres.
The côte de boeuf at Da Bouttau in the old town. The restaurant opened in 1860, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect the menu (Lincoln was elected president of the U.S. in 1860!).
Even after 16 years of attending, I often forget to check the weather before a screening and end up getting soaked in a mid-May downpour because I don’t have an umbrella. I feel like it took days to dry out after walking back to the hotel from The Great Gatsby screening in 2013.
The bar at The Carlton. I had a beer there with Russell Crowe at exactly 3 a.m. when Robin Hood opened the festival in 2010. The bar had become a secret after-party spot for the film.
I met Nicolas Winding Refn while waiting in line outside a party. We became good friends and still are today. In 2019, Nicolas invited my wife and me to ride in an official festival car to the premiere of Too Old to Die Young. We walked the red carpet as part of his entourage and had named seats inside the Palais. It was a very special night.
I’m neutral. I’m not very interested myself, but I know many people are, so feel free to start your stopwatches.