The 26th Annual Provincetown International Film Festival took place June 12 through 16, 2024. It also overlapped perfectly with a family wedding weekend in Truro.
My partner and I landed at our tiny beachfront cabin Thursday night just as the rehearsal dinner was getting underway next door. Since no one expected to see us until sometime Friday, we two SuperAunts tiptoed over to Provincetown.
We enjoyed a pop-up dining experience that included lobster dumplings in a ginger lemongrass broth with wild mushrooms and scallions, as well as a peach and burrata starter that came with fried bread on a bed of fine herbs and mascarpone. There were oysters and veggie vindaloo, too, all with a harbor view. I mean, I have never heard anyone talk this way about rehearsal dinner fare, but maybe that’s just me.
Anyway, I was super psyched to sit poolside for a special screening of “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” at Crown & Anchor afterwards. Some things never get old, and this throwback flick is a perfect example.
Friday morning we caught “Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story,” which I believe will be of special interest to William P. Perry of “Anyone for Tennyson” fame in this space. Unfortunately, this excellent documentary has no U.S. release date yet, but you can sign up here to be notified when it does.
On Saturday, we caught “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” a completely captivating breath of fresh air which I adored. You can watch this now on Hulu and Disney+. While I obviously love documentary film, I am partial to fashion docs, and more so when the fashion designer is female.
Von Furstenberg’s entire life story is incredible, given her mother was a Holocaust survivor and her father sought refuge from the Nazis in Switzerland. That she later married a German prince is wild and crazy. That she and Barry Diller are still married is something. But in turning down a threesome with Mick Jagger and David Bowie, well, DvF is still way ahead of her time.
My favorite part of this doc is the part where she describes the inspiration for her iconic wrap dress. It came from the most unlikely place: the televised moment when Julie Nixon was defending her father during Watergate. Nixon was wearing a DvF blouse and matching skirt, which prompted the designer to imagine them together, wrapped into a dress.
If such lasting sartorial creation sprang out of that context, imagine what never-before-seen fashion revelation lies just around the corner in the current political climate. Can you say, “The Emperor has no clothes”? Lord, have mercy.
In any case, Sunday morning at #PIFF26 gave us “LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.” Friendly advice to all Berkshire area theaters: Book it if you can!
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