Vanity Fair lists Cannes opening-night parties featuring Joan Collins and Adam Driver

Vanity Fair on May 12 published a guide to Cannes opening-night parties that mapped the first wave of private gatherings after the 79th Cannes Film Festival began on the French Riviera. The roundup named Joan Collins, Adam Driver, Isabella Rossellini and Scarlett Johansson among the figures tied to the early social circuit, alongside an event linked to comedian Jordan Firstman and a Hotel du Cap gathering hosted by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. (article.wn.com) The Cannes Film Festival formally opened on May 12 and runs through May 23, according to the festival’s official site. (hollywoodreporter.com) Deadline’s opening-night photo coverage and IndieWire’s account of the gala placed the evening’s official dinner at the Hotel Martinez before guests dispersed to later events around Cannes and Antibes. (festival-cannes.com) ### Which parties did Vanity Fair single out on opening night? Vanity Fair’s May 12 roundup described a cluster of invitation-only gatherings that followed the opening ceremony and jury dinner, including a Jordan Firstman beach event and a Graydon Carter-hosted party at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. The magazine framed them as the first major stop on Cannes’s after-hours calendar. (article.wn.com) Graydon Carter’s event had already been previewed elsewhere before the festival opened. The Hollywood Reporter reported in April that Carter would co-host an A-list Cannes party with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and CAA chief Bryan Lourd at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes. (festival-cannes.com) ### How did the festival’s official opening feed into the party circuit? The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened on May 12 at the Palais des Festivals, where the competition jury was introduced and Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d’Or. Deadline’s gallery said the evening then moved to the Hotel Martinez for the jury dinner. (article.wn.com) IndieWire reported that Iris Knobloch, the festival president, addressed guests at the Palm Beach gala dinner, underscoring that the official program and the private social calendar were running in sequence on opening night. That timeline matches Vanity Fair’s description of parties unfolding after the formal dinner. (hollywoodreporter.com) ### Why were Joan Collins, Adam Driver, Isabella Rossellini and Scarlett Johansson in focus? Joan Collins was on the Cannes red carpet on May 12, according to opening-ceremony coverage from E! and other entertainment outlets, making her one of the recognizable names carried into the first-night party reports. Deadline had also reported ahead of the festival that Collins was in Cannes in connection with her film “My Duchess.” (deadline.com) Scarlett Johansson’s Cannes presence was also documented on the festival’s official site, which lists her as attached to “Paper Tiger” in competition in 2026. Adam Driver was identified by festival-preview coverage as one of the stars expected on the Croisette during this year’s event, while Vanity Fair’s roundup grouped him with the early-night social scene. (indiewire.com) ### What does the Graydon Carter party tell readers about this year’s Cannes guest list? The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has long been one of the Riviera’s signature off-site venues during Cannes, and Carter’s return there again put media, talent representation and technology executives in the same room. The Hollywood Reporter said Amodei and Lourd were co-hosts, linking Anthropic and CAA to one of the most closely watched private events around the festival’s first nights. (eonline.com) Vanity Fair’s own roundup placed that gathering alongside more talent-centered parties, including Jordan Firstman’s event, suggesting that the opening-night circuit mixed studio, agency, media and celebrity guests rather than revolving around a single premiere. (festival-cannes.com) That is an inference from the guest categories and host lineup described in the published reports. ### Where does the story go from here during the rest of Cannes? The festival continues until May 23, with official selections, market activity and additional premieres scheduled across Cannes. The Marché du Film and the main competition calendar are continuing in parallel with the private dinners and branded parties that build through the second week. (hollywoodreporter.com) Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, the Hotel Martinez in Cannes and the Palais des Festivals remain the key locations to watch as more stars arrive for later premieres. Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and other festival participants are expected to remain part of the conversation as their projects and appearances unfold over the remaining days. (festival-cannes.com 1) (festival-cannes.com 2) (article.wn.com)