By Delphine Barguirdjian 8/16/12 10:30am

As Seen in SCENE

Andrew Saffir in the screening room of the Tribeca Grand Hotel, photographed by Sophie Elgort

Mr. Popular: Andrew Saffir

Commanding the foot of the red carpet, Andrew Saffir greets his guests the only way he knows how, with that warm and endearing smile of his, and a hint of excitement peeking through the lenses of his wire eyeglasses. There to personally welcome each arrival—announced by the unmistakable cloud of flickering flashbulbs—he only occasionally jumps onto the carpet to get in a few shots with his friends.

Flashing his trademark smile, Saffir is posing with the actors, editors, directors, producers, supermodels and socialites who consistently turn up at the screenings and after parties hosted by Saffir and the company he founded, the Cinema Society.

The occasion is a screening of the gritty, NC-17-rated dark comedy Killer Joe and the guest list is as star-studded as it is distinct. Actors mingle with directors and designers, editors hover at the bar with models while socialites laugh with photographers. Matthew McConaughey, Gina Gershon, John Stamos, Ethan Cohen, Stefano Tonchi, Terry Richardson and Nicky Hilton have all turned up at the cozy screening room of the Tribeca Grand Hotel for Willliam Friedkin’s flick about a family’s plot to have their mother murdered to cash in on her life insurance. But star-studded crowds are something Saffir is used to. In fact, standing in front of the audience to introduce the film, Saffir is as calm and collected as a host throwing an intimate dinner party for friends in his own home. Read More

By Christine Chen 7/11/12 3:45pm

red carpet

Freida Pinto, on the red carpet. (Nicholas Hunt / PatrickMcMullan.com)

Trishna Star Freida Pinto on Sexual Double Standards and Re-reading Tess of the d’Urbervilles

Last night’s Cinema Society screening of Trishna at the IFC Center began with the usual glimpses of celebrity—Meg Ryan swooped past in her hat and sunglasses, and Billy Connolly slipped by with his wife.

But actress and heroine of the film Freida Pinto took her time sauntering down the red carpet, glowing in a white Rachel Roy creation, and shared that she is currently reading the Tom Hardy classic Tess of the d’Urbervilles, of which Trishna is a modern adaptation, for the second time. “The first time I read the book, I never thought that India would be such a great setting for it,” she said. “And the second time, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I am such an idiot.’ It is so perfect!” Read More

By Kristian Laliberte 4/05/12 11:30am

As Seen in SCENE

Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa at the screening of Bully (Patrick McMullan)

SCENE & Heard: Hashtags and Hot Toddies

It’s our big launch party for SCENE and Desmond’s, the chic spot on the Upper East Side that feels part Brit private club, part downtown lounge, is packed with PYTs like Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Dani Stahl, June Ambrose, David Lipke, Charlotte Ronson, Ali Wise, Euan and Lucy Sykes Rellie, Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict, Anh Duong, Page Six’s Emily Smith and Erika Bearman(aka the prolific and much-followed Tweeter, “OscarPRGirl”) to name just a few.

Hot on the heels of the Oscars, the bon mots are all about the best-dressed, and really, this crew is a little better equipped to judge the sartorial prowess of Hollywood stars than say, Giuliana Rancic. Stacy Keibler‘s gold Marchesa? “A little too Oscar,” observes Bearman, and she wasn’t referring to her own boss, Mr. Oscar de la Renta. Read More