Variety gathered leading figures from the French film industry for its fourth dinner at Lapérouse in Paris, a post-Cannes and summer celebration bringing together Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux, Mediawan boss Pierre-Antoine Capton, MK2 Films co-CEO Nathanaël Karmitz and Pathé Films president Ardavan Safaee, as well as actors and filmmakers Anamaria Vartolomei, Rebecca Zlotowski, Guillaume Canet, Marina Foïs, Géraldine Nakache and Elsa Zylberstein, among others.

Hosted at the iconic Paris restaurant with the support of co-owners Émilie and Benjamin Patou, the evening toasted the global reach of French cinema after a Cannes edition that showcased a wide range of local and international talent. It also underscored Variety’s longstanding ties with the French movie business and its unique position as a U.S. publication with a strong international and Francophile footprint.

The event was organized by Variety’s international editor Elsa Keslassy, with support from entertainment lawyer Elsa Huisman of Cabinet 111 and awards strategist Sébastien Cauchon of Cinema Collectors. Variety’s deputy international editor Ellise Shafer traveled from London to attend.

The celebration unfolded in one of Lapérouse’s intimate salons, L’Astrolabe, where the table was dressed in a romantic, candlelit style that matched the post-Cannes mood. A pink patterned tablecloth, white candelabras, low votive candles and small bouquets of summer flowers ran down the center, while gilded mirrors, textured wallpaper, draped windows and a chandelier gave the room an old-world Parisian glow.

Guests dined on a classic Lapérouse menu featuring smoked Norwegian salmon with blinis and dill cream, duck pâté en croûte with foie gras and thyme and the restaurant’s signature truffled croque-royal with comté cheese. Main courses ranged from chicken suprême with morel cream and mashed potatoes to pearly cod with beurre blanc, followed by Lapérouse vanilla cake and a minute-cut seasonal fruit turban.

Frémaux, who just marked his 25th year at the helm of Cannes, was joined by Zlotowski, who originated the idea for “La Vénus électrique,” which played on opening night of this year’s festival; Canet, whose thriller “Karma,” starring Marion Cotillard, played out of competition; and actor-turned-director Nakache, who presented “Think Good” at Cannes Première. Also on hand were Marina Foïs, who was at the festival with Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved,” and Vartolomei, who stars in Pathé’s ambitious two-part historical epic “De Gaulle.” The first installment premiered in Cannes and has since enjoyed a strong rebound at the French box office. She was joined by Safaee, president of Pathé Films, which produced the “De Gaulle” diptych.

The gathering also spotlighted several major French production and distribution players. Nathanaël Karmitz, Elisha Karmitz and Fionnuala Jamison represented the MK2 group, which had 11 films at Cannes this year and won four prizes, including the Grand Prix for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur,” the Caméra d’Or and FIPRESCI prize for Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s “Ben’Imana” in Un Certain Regard, and the Grand Prix Ami Paris at Critics’ Week for Marine Atlan’s “La Gradiva.”

Capton, who celebrated Mediawan’s 10th anniversary last month, has just finalized the company’s acquisition of North Road, whose current hit “Backrooms” has grossed more than $331 million worldwide. He was accompanied by Élisabeth d’Arvieu, CEO of Mediawan Pictures. The company was behind nine films at Cannes.

Jérôme Levy, co-founder of Vuelta, was also present after the group’s labels brought more than a dozen films to Cannes, including “La Vénus électrique,” Nakache’s “Think Good” and “A Woman’s Life.”
Top producer Juliette Schrameck, whose credits include Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” attended following a strong Cannes that included Lucas Dhont’s “Coward,” which won the acting prize for its two leads, Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, as well as Leïla Marrakchi’s “Les Fraises” in Un Certain Regard.

Rassam, producer of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” also attended after producing Paweł Pawlikowski’s Cannes prizewinner “Fatherland” through his banner Chapter 2. He is currently wrapping production on Ladj Ly’s upcoming “Dumas,” which he is making with Srab Films and Pathé Films. Kim Chapiron joined the dinner as he prepares his next film, a thriller set in the clandestine world of beauty. He came with producers Gary Farkas, Olivier Muller and Clément Lepoutre, whose banner Phantasm Group has joined luxury and lifestyle powerhouse The Independents and was at Cannes with James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” and Quentin Dupieux’s “Full Phil.”

Other guests included CNC president Gaëtan Bruel; Grégoire Chertok, a high-profile investment banker and cinephile who was awarded the Légion d’honneur; Cécile Felsenberg, co-founder of UBBA, who attended with several of the agency’s talents, including Canet and Foïs; and Melita Toscan du Plantier, president of the Marrakech Film Festival and producer of “Homebound,” which was shortlisted for the Oscars this year.

Also present were producers Rosa Attab, whose company January Films has upcoming projects including Chris Andrews’ “Cavendish,” with Sophie Thatcher and Joe Alwyn attached to star; Sophie Mas, who runs the banner MountainA with Natalie Portman and is in post-production on Lena Dunham’s “Good Sex”; Wassim Beji, who recently delivered Yann Gozlan’s box office hit “Guru”; actor Elsa Zylberstein, who is developing several international projects as a producer, including a Simone de Beauvoir film written by Christopher Hampton and set to be directed by Anne Fontaine; and photographer Marcel Hartmann.

The evening also welcomed international guests, notably Dylan Leiner, executive VP of acquisitions, production and business affairs at Sony Pictures Classics; and Ama Ampadu, senior production and development executive at the BFI Filmmaking Fund.

Owned by Patou and Antoine Arnault, Lapérouse first opened its doors in 1766 and became a favorite refuge for the Parisian intelligentsia, drawing philosophers, novelists, artists and, later, filmmakers to its salons, lushly decorated with red velvet, paintings, ornate moldings and crystal chandeliers. Tastefully revamped a few years ago by Dior Maison head Cordelia de Castellane, Lapérouse was mentioned by Marcel Proust in “In Search of Lost Time” and served as a backdrop in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.”

TEL AVIV: As Israel marks 1,000 days since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, children — many still coping with the psychological effects of the war — are beginning their summer vacation, with some navigating the uncertainties of traveling abroad amid rising antisemitism and others grappling at home with the anxieties of living in a society shaped by nearly three years of war on multiple fronts.

Lilach, 47, of Kibbutz Eilon, jut over a mile and a half from Israel’s border with Lebanon in the Western Galilee, told Fox News Digital she hopes her children — Yuval, Amit, and Yoni — will finally be able to enjoy a normal summer.

During the war, there was always concern about leaving home. The kids were barely in school and spent most of their time indoors in front of screens,” she said.

“I hope they can now spend time with their friends and enjoy activities together. Tomorrow, Yoni is going to an amusement park. I just want them to have fun, be with their friends and enjoy being kids again,” she added.

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, Lilach said, her children have had only one uninterrupted year of school.

“It was hard. They would start school, attend for a month or two, then classes would stop because of the war with Iran or fighting with Lebanon, and then resume. It was difficult to get back into a routine each time. It felt like starting a new school year over and over again,” she said.

Despite the repeated disruptions, Lilach said her daughter Amit graduated from high school thanks to her determination and private tutoring. Yoni, however, who has attention deficit disorder, struggled with spending weeks at home during the fighting and will move to a smaller classroom next year to receive additional support.

Evacuated with her family a day after the Oct. 7 attacks, Anat, 50, of Kibbutz Yiftah in the Upper Galilee, less than two miles from Israel’s border with Lebanon, told Fox News Digital that her children changed schools three times before the family returned home in February 2025. During Israel’s recent war with Iran, they were again out of school for about six weeks.

“Every day, having my 10-year-old log on to Zoom for online classes was a challenge. It was very difficult to maintain a routine and continuity in her learning,” Anat said.

With the family hoping to travel abroad this summer, Anat said she has tried to shelter her children from the tidal wave of antisemitism that has emerged globally over the past three years of war.

“We don’t talk at home about people around the world who hate us. We love everyone, and we don’t talk about hate, period. For them, traveling is something wonderful that they can’t wait for,” she said. “Despite how difficult it has been, our children are strong. They have grown up quickly because of everything they’ve been through and know how to cope. We don’t feel sorry for ourselves—we’re fighters.”

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Nufar Bar Lipshatz, a developmental psychologist in the Northern District of Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, said many children continue to show signs of trauma.

According to data she cited from Israel’s National Insurance Institute, 25,274 children had been officially recognized as victims of hostile acts between Oct. 7, 2023 and the end of 2025. She also referenced a joint study by the Goshen organization and the Israeli Pediatric Association showing that 84% of Israeli children exhibited signs of emotional distress by late 2023 following the cross-border terror assault from Gaza and Hezbollah’s entry into the war from Lebanon the following day.

“We see many symptoms that are connected but manifest differently in each child, whether it’s a child who can’t speak, wets their pants, or develops [nervous] tics,” Bar Lipshatz said. “Trauma is real, and children can’t always express it with words, so they act it out. They reenact running to shelters, their father being deployed, war, aggression and kidnappings during play.”

She recalled treating a girl who became unable to ride her bicycle because she constantly looked over her shoulder, checking whether someone was behind her.

While summer vacation may offer temporary relief, Bar Lipshatz warned that long breaks from routine can reinforce anxiety.

“We know from research that children need stability and routine because it helps them feel safe. During school breaks, children may feel safer because they are avoiding situations that trigger stress, but over time they are also avoiding facing their fears,” she said. “We need to give parents and children the tools to cope with stress because it will not disappear simply by staying at home.”

Bar Lipshatz, who also works with autistic children, said travel itself can be challenging because unfamiliar sounds and crowded environments may trigger traumatic memories.

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“When you go on vacation, you go to places with lots of people and noise. What we think could be fun can actually become a trigger,” she said, recalling a trip to Romania where bear-warning sirens in a national park sounded identical to Israel’s missile alerts.

She noted that one of her young patients told her she feared traveling abroad because, despite the war, Israel felt more predictable than an unfamiliar country.

In a bid to maintain a sense of routine and help students catch up on lost time, the Israeli Ministry of Education told Fox News Digital that it will continue operating throughout the summer through programs serving approximately 1.12 million students, supported by an investment of about $270 million.

For the first time, middle school students will participate in summer programs focused on artificial intelligence, STEM subjects, mathematics, science, and English. The ministry said the highest participation rates are in northern and southern communities affected by the war.

It also said it will continue providing emotional support through its Psychological Counseling Service, expand psychological services for students in need, and keep its “Voice for All” support hotline operating throughout the summer.

“The education system will continue to support Israeli students during the summer vacation to ensure educational, emotional and social continuity for every student who needs it,” the ministry said.

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Children affected by the war are also attending summer camps such as those led by OneFamily, an organization that supports victims of terrorism and war and their families.

More than 400 children — each of whom has lost an immediate family member to terrorism or war, most since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — will take part in OneFamily’s annual summer camp from July 8 to July 13 in the Golan Heights, where they will spend time with other children who share similar experiences of grief and loss.

A central focus of the camp is helping children build resilience while learning to cope with their grief. This year, the organization’s founding director, Chantal Belzberg, received the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement.

Activities include swimming, competitions, sports, but also therapeutic group dialogue circles. On the last night, some campers share stories about their lost loved ones and their own journey to healing, followed by a big concert.

“Children who have lost a parent, both parents or siblings to terrorism or acts of war don’t always want to go to therapy. But when you bring them together with other children who have experienced the same loss, it gives them strength and creates a therapeutic environment,” Belzberg told Fox News Digital.

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“They come to have fun, and through the activities they meet other children who have gone through the same thing. That’s when they begin to talk. Traditional support services are not always places where children want to go,” she continued.

“We bring them together so they meet children who truly understand them. They realize they are not alone and can build a community where they don’t feel isolated. One of the greatest challenges after trauma is isolation,” she added.