Warner Brothers' new Clint Eastwood-directed picture, Invictus, tells the true story of how Nelson Mandela joined with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team in an attempt to bring the country together. So it followed naturally that the party celebrating the film's premiere would have a masculine look evoking the macho sport. The studio’s vice president of special events, Courtney Saylor, along with Amanda Lamb, Zachary Monge, and Troy Williams, oversaw the party for about 800 guests, tapping Events in Motion to produce it.
To create what Events in Motion's Jennifer Wang described as a "warm, masculine lounge," the production team worked with Designer 8 to design custom furniture for the event. The group made items including brown suede seating with nailhead accents, as well as diamond-tufted furniture.
The menu created by the Beverly Wilshire included tray-passed appetizers like wild mushroom bisque served in demitasse cups, mini beef Wellingtons, and brie cheese with truffle and pear garnish on toasted brioche. Dinner buffets included hearty fare of butternut squash ravioli with asparagus shavings and sage butter, chicken breast with creamy marscapone Parmesan polenta with black truffle, and oven-roasted beef tenderloin with roasted red potatoes, bearnaise sauce, and port wine reduction. Desserts like croquembouche lollipops filled with pumpkin cream rounded out the offerings.
The featured entertainment of the evening was Overtone, a South African group with vocalist Yollandi Nortjie, whose music is included in the movie soundtrack.
