The article discusses various encounters and events at the Cannes Film Festival 2025, including celebrity interactions, film premieres, and industry gatherings. It highlights the phenomenon of stars sequestering themselves in VIP areas, observations about the film 'Eddington,' and anecdotes from dinners and parties.

One notable observation was the tendency of celebrities to isolate themselves in roped-off VIP sections, a practice that amuses the author. An example was Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney conversing with Emma Stone from outside her private zone at the afterparty for Ari Aster’s film 'Eddington.' The author reflects on the perceived need for actors to create distance from the public.

The film 'Eddington,' directed by Ari Aster and starring Joaquin Phoenix, is described as a masterpiece about the corruption and self-destruction of America. The author found the film both tough to watch and hilariously absurd in its portrayal of the United States. A producing partner of Aster, Lars Knudsen, mentioned that while he doesn't own a gun in Austin, Texas, his neighbors do.

The 'Eddington' party, hosted by A24, was attended by Micheal Ward and William Belleau, with Belleau receiving praise for his performance. Harris Dickinson, who stars in another A24 production, 'Babygirl,' was also present. Dickinson's new mop-headed hairstyle is due to his role as John Lennon in Sam Mendes' upcoming Beatles movies.

A dinner hosted by Charles Finch and A Rabbit’s Foot honored Benicio Del Toro, the star of Wes Anderson’s 'The Phoenician Scheme.' Robert De Niro was also in attendance. Del Toro shared an anecdote about working with De Niro in the film 'The Fan,' recounting how De Niro removed lines from the script, leading to a career of Del Toro saying very little in his roles. Both stars had security but remained approachable.

Cuba Gooding Jr. and Claudine De Niro were also present. Gooding reminisced about meeting the author at the premiere of 'Boyz n the Hood' in 1991. He also shared a clip from a sci-fi film, 'Quantum Supremacy,' where he is the only live actor, with the rest being AI. Tom Hooper discussed his film 'Photograph 51,' starring Natalie Portman as Rosalind Franklin, highlighting the historical dismissal of women in science. The author noted following a play starring Nicole Kidman as Franklin on the London stage.

The article also mentions gatherings with industry figures such as Michael Barker and Tom Bernard from Sony Pictures Classics, Peter Kujawski, Jason Cassidy, and Stephanie Phillips from Focus Features, and Lisa Taback and Cai Mason from Netflix. Claire Ingle-Finch and her team organized the Rabbit’s Foot dinner. Francesco Melzi d’Eril and Daniel Battsek were seen in conversation, with Battsek also attending the United in Cannes party. Christine Langan, another attendee, is humorously noted as a Chelsea football club supporter, a point of contention for the author.

Finally, the article shifts focus to veteran Indian actor Anupam Kher, who is at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 for the premiere of his directorial debut, 'Tanvi The Great.' He had a heartwarming reunion with Robert De Niro, with whom he worked in 'Silver Linings Playbook.' De Niro, honored with the Palme d’Or for Lifetime Achievement, greeted Kher warmly. Kher shared an emotional note about their friendship on social media. He introduced De Niro to actress Shubhangi and the film’s crew and showed him the poster for 'Tanvi The Great,' which De Niro appreciated. 'Tanvi The Great' stars Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Arvind Swami, Karan Tacker, and Iain Glen.