On the last night of the Miami International Film Festival and after a week of watching fantastic films, all anyone wanted to do was celebrate and dance. The committee for the Miami International Film Festival transformed the second floor of the Alfred I. Dupont Building into a flashy, thumping nightclub, replete with plush white couches and a mammoth dance floor. After the festival's awards presentation and a screening of the film Ira & Abby at the regal Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, partygoers flocked across the street to the Dupont Building to celebrate the completion of the 2007 festival. The party was both a celebration of this year's festival and a kickoff for the festival's 25th anniversary next year.The event planners used the building's Art Deco architectural details, including a massive bank vault and antique teller stations, to the event's advantage. The vault was used as a backdrop for photographing film festival V.I.P., and bar stations were placed behind the gilded teller desks. Partygoers had plenty of food and drink, with buffet and bar stations by Touch Catering placed strategically between the two large event spaces—guaranteeing that the 1,200 attendees could mingle and nibble conveniently. Long-stemmed white lilies decorated the bar stations, along with glowing plexiglass cubes. An international theme enhanced the menu, with a variety of food on display, including Spanish empanadas, Asian spring rolls, and Greek pastries. The dessert buffet included delectable mini key lime tarts and chocolate cupcakes.
"Our goal with this party was to celebrate and have fun," said Carol Ann Lafferty, managing director of the festival and the party's organizer.
Local musicians DJ Le Spam and the Spam Allstars kept the crowd on the dance floor with their eclectic sounds. Branding for the festival appeared in the form of logos for both the festival and Miami-Dade College, projected by Lighting Design and Production onto the Dupont's walls.
—Sara Liss
As guests ascended to the second-floor festivities, they were greeted by a multifaceted flower arrangement.
DJ Le Spam and the Spam Allstars provided eclectic music for the dance-happy crowd.
Guests danced and celebrated the end of the film festival in the cavernous Dupont hall.
Arrangements of white lilies flanked the bar stations.
The venue's old bank vault was the setting for festival interviews.
Guests sipped cocktails and chatted in the Art Deco bank hall.
Desserts like these key lime tarts were passed at the event.
The festival logos were projected onto the walls for branding effect.
Pictured here are the main hall, wall logo, and arrangement.
