Sharon Stone was one of the first to frequent the DPA gift suites created and directed by Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko, whom we found for her twentieth year at the Cannes Film Festival. The principle: to allow little-known or beginner brands to be discovered and promoted by the stars, knowing that the value of these gifts remains reasonable, from 15 euros up to 8,000 euros for trips. “Sharon Stone immediately played the game. She was so nice that I knew immediately that we were going to become friends”, confides the person in charge of the suites to 20 minutes. They still are today.
“In twenty years, things have evolved and so have the gifts we offer,” says Nathalie Dubois Sissoko. The stars are more committed to sustainable development and so are we. In the sequel, cups made of recycled plastic sit side by side with jewels or a little more luxurious bags. What counts is not the market value of gifts but their originality, whether they are able to surprise people who already have access to everything. In the spotlight this year, maize and cactus handbags imitating leather to perfection.
The good guys and the bad guys
In two decades, Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko has seen great things. If she remembers being seduced by the class of a Richard Gere, she always has in mind the image Terrence Howard nearly flying away during a storm. “One of my funniest memories is seeing Christophe Lambert arrive, whom we were no longer expecting, as we were going to bed,” she recalls. We had to get dressed in a hurry to receive it. »
On the whole, the stars are courteous and friendly. Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko refuses to name those who are unpleasant: one who is surprised not to find a car, the other who worries about knowing where the diamonds are before even saying hello, the third who denigrates obnoxiously the products of a brand in front of its creator. “There are rude and ill-mannered people in all walks of life, but I’m surprised at how grateful and approachable the big names in cinema are most often. »
Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko loves her job, which she practices for other events such as the Césars, the Emmys or the Oscars, but not to the point of going back for another twenty years. “I am now devoting myself to writing a book of memories,” she confides. We are waiting for it impatiently.