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“It was clear I was creating the final chapter”

30/09/2021

Ahead of the red carpet premier of ‘No Time To Die’ on Wednesday night, Cary Fukanaga spoke to Monaco Life about what it was like to co-write and direct the film that famously closes the book on Daniel Craig’s James Bond.
It could have been a scene straight out of a 007 film – Cary Joji Fukanaga, handsomely dressed in a white tuxedo jacket, drives up to the Prince’s Palace in a sexy Aston Martin. As the last of the September sun sets over the horizon, the award-winning Fukanaga reveals to Monaco Life what it was like to be the only American to direct a film in the iconic British spy series.
“I didn’t find out I was the first American until I looked deeper into the production,” he tells me, “but I think I brought a different sensibility to the franchise. I am from a different generation than the other directors as well, so that changes perspective I guess.”
In fact, he is one of 13 directors behind 25 Bond films, each one helping to shape the character and mythos of agent 007. But Fukanaga surely had the most difficult task of all the directors – closing an important chapter in the legendary life of James Bond.
“I thought Spectre was going to be Daniel Craig’s last film, but they said this was absolutely going to be his final role as Bond,” says the 44-year-old. “It made it very clear that what I was writing for them would be a final chapter, so I approached it as an end. You can think of Casino Royale as the beginning, followed by a run of five chapters – this being the fifth and final chapter. ‘No Time To Die’ would be the end of the book; you could close it and feel satisfied.”
The film’s premier has been a long-time coming for Cary Joji Fukanaga. After nearly 18 months of pandemic delay, ‘No Time To Die’ had its world release at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday attended by the British Royal family and much of the film’s cast. Less than 24 hours later, he jetted down to Monaco for the red carpet premier at the Opera Garnier in the original Casino Royale with Prince Albert, Hollywood legend Sharon Stone, and former Bond theme song singer Dame Shirley Bassey.
“It was a major relief to finally show the film,” Fukanaga reveals, “and more than anything, it was a major relief to show it to audiences and not have it end up on streaming.”
Not so lucky were most other highly-anticipated films this year, including Marvel’s Black Widow, The Suicide Squad and The Matrix 4, all of which had simultaneous theatre and stream releases.

Photo of Cary Fukunaga at the Prince’s Palace by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life

But Wednesday night’s event in Monaco was much more than a glitzy red carpet film premier and dazzling after party. It was a celebration of Cary Fukanaga himself, a Princess Grace Foundation Award Winner. It was also an opportunity to raise money for the Foundation’s newest award, the Sir Roger Moore Award, to support emerging talent in film making. And Fukanaga knows all too well how such an award can change the life of someone in this industry.
“The original award I got in 2005 was massively important because I was in the last semester of film school, and that’s when people usually have to decide whether to get a job or try to pursue their dreams making movies. The award allowed me to focus on writing the screenplay that ended up becoming (the award-winning film) Sin Nombre. As I didn’t have to work, I was able to focus on my project and continue my art, and because of that I ended up making my movie and I’ve been working ever since as a film maker.”
Fukanaga says that Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first film as James Bond, was a “jumping off point” to complete the film series, adding: “I think there are nods to the classic Bond films in there, but there is also a sentimental emotional layer exposed in the character that we haven’t seen before, which I think creates a whole new feeling when you’re watching it. You get all the action, all the thrills, but you also get some emotion, which I think might be unexpected for some viewers.”
According to IndieWire, ‘No Time To Die’ is indeed the most emotional 007 movie ever, while other critics appreciate the scope that Fukanaga has afforded to Craig in his final role as Bond.
The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey, comments: “No Time to Die is at its very best when it allows the actor room to take his final curtsy with both grace and style, allowing him to leave the franchise with not only a good dollop of dignity, but a reminder that he gave Bond a soul.”
Prince Albert emerges from the Palace gates in his own white suit jacket to greet a smiling Cary Fukanaga. The two drive off in that gorgeous Aston Martin, bound for the Casino de Monte-Carlo and the 007 fans that await them, eager to see for themselves how this James Bond chapter will play out.

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Top photo by G. Luci/Prince’s Palace

Strong business tourism to continue in October

by: Stephanie Horsman

29/09/2021

After a hugely successful Monaco Yacht Show, industry professionals will continue to descend on Monaco during the month of October thanks to three major expos and one popular concert at the Grimaldi Forum.
The first event is the much-anticipated Sportel Monaco, running from 5th to 7th October. Sportel is the world’s leader in the Sports Content Media Rights and Technology Convention marketplace. Each year, key stakeholders from around the world meet up at Sportel events for targeted business meetings, knowledge sharing and decisive deal making.
Next up is the Cybersecurity Assises forum, where cybersecurity experts come together for one-on-one meetings, discussions, live demonstrations of the latest technologies, workshops and round tables on major trends in the sector. This show will run from 13^th to 16^th October.
To inject a bit of culture into the mix, renowned concert pianist Lang Lang will perform at the Forum on 21^stOctober. He will be playing one of the most celebrated piano pieces in the history of classical music, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, consisting of an opening aria followed by 30 variations on it – a masterpiece that dazzles even today, nearly 300 years after it’s creation.
Rounding out the month, from 26^th to 28^th October, the One-to-One Retail E-Commerce Monaco show is coming to town for three days of conferences, business and networking made for the heavy-hitters in the retail and e-commerce world. Market players and decision-makers are joining together for the event’s 10th anniversary with 130 workshops and five keynote speakers on the roster.
The Grimaldi Forum says all events will be held following the most current health guidelines and with the safety of all participants in mind.

Photo: Grimaldi Forum Monaco/Olivia Marocco

Passing through Monaco: Investor Patrick Tsang

by: Cassandra Tanti

29/09/2021

Monaco is like honey to the world’s brightest, most successful entrepreneurs and investors. Their stories are inspirational and motivational, and we at Monaco Life are pleased to share them you.
“I came to Monaco for the Grand Prix in May and I had a really good time,” Patrick tells me as we sit in the lobby of the Hermitage Hotel. “Before Covid, the word ‘holiday’ didn’t really exist for me. I was in a different city every few days, working non stop from 8am until 2am. I would always mix work with pleasure and enjoy travelling, but I realise now that health is the most important thing in life.”
Life didn’t start out easy for Patrick Tsang. Growing up in Belfast during The Troubles, he was one of the rare non-white people in Northern Ireland, speaking not a word of English the day he started at a Protestant school.
“The first day of school was very vivid to me. I was four years old and during recess all the kids got out their packed lunches with milk and biscuits. My mother, who didn’t know too much about the western education system, didn’t pack me anything to eat during recess. Obviously, a teacher brought me some biscuits. After lunch, we had some play time, as we were all heading back to the classroom I got beaten up by five boys, just because I didn’t look the same as them. I was crying and hurt and asking myself why they beat me up. That day taught me a big lesson: you have to fight for everything that you have in life. I needed to show people that I can be just as good as them, if not better.”
Patrick Tsang is now the fourth-generation chairman of the single family office Tsangs Group, an innovation-focussed company which bridges East to West and invests in companies primarily in Asia, North America and Europe.
“We try to invest by making a positive impact and positive influence with a mission to try to change the world to make it a better place,” says Tsang.
That determination to do better and aim higher is in Patrick Tsang’s DNA. His ancestors originated from Henan in central China thousands of years ago. They were part of an ethnic group called the Hakka, a nomadic tribe that moved all around China and were never considered ‘locals’ anywhere. About 700 years ago, the family emigrated to Hong Kong, which was essentially made up of fishermen and farmers, where they settled.
“My great grandfather came from the period during the Qing dynasty, had four wives and little resources. As he was illiterate, he saw that the power was with the pen and not the sword. So, he decided to use all his savings to educate one family member – his oldest son, which was my grandfather.”
Patrick’s grandfather went on to become one of the first Chinese entrepreneurs to open multiple Chinese restaurants and takeaways in north west England, and then the first to open restaurant businesses in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Dublin, Ireland.
“I was there for 18 years before I moved to London for college. Can you imagine? A bunch of Chinese kids growing up with thick Belfast and Dublin accents,” laughs Patrick.
Patrick Tsang went to London to read law and graduated from the prestigious College of Law in Guildford, England. He qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong and England before changing careers to finance.
As an investor, lawyer, advisor and chairman of various ventures, Patrick Tsang was always on the move, until Covid hit and the world was forced to a standstill. A hip operation last year also saw Patrick Tsang out of action for three months, giving him time to reassess his outlook on life and effect positive change.
“That immature, never say never mentality changes as you get older,” reveals Tsang. “You evolve to the point where it is not about me beating you, it is about me beating myself.”
It also gave Tsang the motivation to start a not for profit, social impact project.
“We had two years of social unrest in Hong Kong, very similar to Northern Ireland, and I had a lot of young people asking for advice on what to study, how to buy a house in Hong Kong, etc. At the end of the day, you can’t blame other people or the environment for your situation, it’s all to do with your own attitude. We can’t change the circumstances of the environment around us, all we can do is change ourselves and our attitude. Most of the time, successful people prevail in times of adversity.”

Patrick Tsang interviewing Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley at the Monaco Streaming Film Festival 2021

In order to share these stories of success with as wide an audience as possible, Patrick Tsang created a podcast, interviewing celebrities, influencers and successful entrepreneurs. Titled ‘Anything is Possible’, the podcast now boasts over 60 episodes of one hour with personalities including venture capitalist Tim Draper, Bitcoin titan Brock Pierce, and former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci.
“There are others who are not perhaps as well-known but have very interesting stories, like a 24-year-old Indian lady called Dr Malvika Iyer, an international motivational speaker, social worker and disability rights activist who suffered a bomb blast at the age of 13 and lost both her arms.
“We also interviewed Adam Cheyer, handpicked by Steve Jobs and founder of Apple’s Siri. He’s also the founder of change.org which has had over five billion users since it began and has been instrumental in women’s rights movements.”
The interviews can be viewed on the ‘Anything is Possible Podcast’ channel on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well as DeFiance Media, a digital network broadcasting coverage of decentralised culture, finance and technology.
Patrick Tsang affirms he has no agenda with his podcast, apart from helping people.
“The objective is youth empowerment and education. I believe the same as my great grandfather, and the generations that came after him, that education is the key to everything,” says Tsang. “If we can help one, five, 10 young people, then they can have a multiplying effect of helping other people in issues like sustainability, climate change, food shortages… there are so many problems that need to be resolved and only the young can change them. The young generation is our future and if we channel the right energy and resources, Anything is Possible.”

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MonacoTech looking for new round of entrepreneurs

by: Stephanie Horsman

29/09/2021

MonacoTech, the start-up incubator founded in the Principality in 2017, has put out its annual call for new start-ups in the green, clean, bio-med, financial yachting and digital tech worlds.

Applications are now being accepted by the Principality’s premiere start-up incubator, MonacoTech, for companies who are in line with Monaco’s values and in their foremost strategic sectors.

New businesses looking for a boost with backgrounds in green tech, clean tech, biotech, medtech, fintech, digital or yachting are asked to submit applications between 27^th September and 25^th October before midnight in order to be considered.

The selection process will take place in three distinct stages starting with filing the application. The next step will be 20-minute online interviews taking place on 15^th and 16^th November, followed by the presentation of the project in front of a panel of judges on 2^nd and 3^rd December. Final decisions will be made in January to welcome the new start-ups in the new year.

MonacoTech offers comprehensive support for the winning applicants, giving them a programme focused on the application of best practices and personalised follow-up, workshops and events led by experts, and chances to connect with key players of the ecosystem such as entrepreneurs, partner incubators and investors. Additionally, the start-ups will have access to each other for idea-sharing and support as well as to the MonacoTech ‘Fab Lab’, which can be used for prototyping and experiments.

Projects are evaluated on several criteria. The potential and innovative character, how far along the project has been developed as only those with a first prototype will be considered, and a coherence between the project and Monaco’s values and goals will all be considered before making final choices.

Monaco, says MonacoTech, provides a perfect backdrop for these kinds of endeavours as it is international, open to innovation and experimentation and already wired for 5G.

MYS Series: The superyacht and the owner representative

by:

27/09/2021

The course to set in order to become a superyacht owner representative is uncharted territory, but at journey’s end, the one abiding rule is to understand the owner inside and out and to know the yacht off by heart.
There’s no easy way to get there, but Owner Representative (OR) Volga Diaugo started off as a stewardess, working on 25 to 50 metre yachts for nine years. “That’s how I learnt about boatsn from the inside,” she explains.
She is now co-owner of The Doc Yachts Services based in Imperia, Italy. The OR’s role, she says, is to cover the owner’s back in every which way and do every single thing to make sure they do not encounter (or even know about) any problems on board: “With crew, with technical problems, with management, etc.”
And so how, one wonders, is this different from a yacht manager? Diaugo explains, “I am in direct contact with the owner, I am their eyes, their ears. My office is right in front of their boat. The Owner Rep gives 360° support of every aspect of the yacht, whereas yacht management involves 280°. We cover everything from design stage, construction, and after sales, managing itineraries, port bookings, provisioning, technical support, everything.”
Diaugo is owner representative for five vessels. She moved from Belorussia to Italy in 2005 and, as a Russian speaker, most of her owners are Russian speaking.

This year at the Monaco Yacht Show she represented the new flagship Class category yacht from the Benetti shipyard, the Benetti Diamond 44m. With exterior design by Giorgio M. Cassetta, the interior is the work of Benetti’s Interior Style Department. With a fibreglass hull and 469 gross tonnes in weight, the yacht sleeps 10 guests in five cabins with a crew of nine. At 11 knots, she has a range of 5,000 nautical miles.
The owner, an experienced yachtsman, was heavily involved in the project build and advised the yard on the need for generous space for crew as well as owner and guests, with maximum silence and build standards.
The yacht launched in January 2020 and was delivered in Viareggio in July 2020. She is considered to be a contemporary take on a Benetti’s traditional classic style.
Says Diaugo, “It all began in December 2018 when the construction contract was signed. Along with the captain, I attended shipyard meetings to source any problems and give the owner’s opinions and ideas. Benetti are very professional and it was a positive experience.”
Covid of course halted the build process in 2020, but not for long, and the yacht was delivered only shortly after schedule that July.

Diaugo is particularly impressed by the natural light inside the boat and the volume. “She feels like a 50m, not a 44m,” she says. “She’s like a daughter to me. I love everything about her. Every place you go, you find particular things, special materials. You know, on board yachts, people are always getting bruises from sharp corners when the boat is moving. But the owner and his family decided to have all corners rounded off. There are no sharp edges onboard!”
Crew and guest flows are devised to ensure maximum privacy. The 102sqm sun deck offers dining, lounging and sunbathing areas. Other features include a pool on the upper deck bow and an expansive 60m full-beam owner’s apartment in the bow on the main deck. In the central section of the deck, the day area is furnished exclusively with a series of sofas and low tables.
Now with that project under her belt and constant beady eye, Volga Diaugo is working on the construction of a 76’ sailing yacht by CNB shipyard, due for delivery at the beginning of 2022.

At close quarters with Volga Diaugo:

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
In Minsk, the capital of Belarus. I moved to Italy in 2005.
A happy memory?
Going to football matches with my father. I remember standing in the rain at the 1982 Russian Championships. I was six and I was happy.
If you weren’t an owner representative, what would you be?
This is my dream job. I trained as a physical education teacher and I have a degree in psychology. Both are useful now, for jumping through hoops.
Your advice to someone looking for a career like yours?
Be honest, and you have to know every single aspect of the job in case the owner asks you. I had a great captain who taught me that whatever I am asked, the answer is always “Yes”. And if it is not “Yes” today, it is “Yes” for tomorrow.
A difficult part of your job?
Never enough sleep. If you are not sleeping, you are always thinking of the next thing. Last year I did 60,000 km in my car – meetings with shipyards etc. – all over Italy.
The best part of your job?
Seeing the owner happy.
Of what are you most proud?
Moving to Italy. It was a decision that changed my life. I started from zero and did not speak a word of Italian.
A favourite meal?
Any Italian cooked fish. I love all Italian food.
A figure you admire?
Captain Heins Krodel, my first Captain on MY ZoomZoomZoom.
A favourite place or restaurant in Monaco?
Cipriani.

An “angelic evening” with the stars of the stars

by: Stephanie Horsman

27/09/2021

The Monaco Yacht Club was the final scene in a series of exclusive events last week that featured two NASA astronauts and showcased Axiom Space, the company designing the world’s first commercial space station.

In the third of three special ‘Astronaut’ events put on by My Yacht Group, the Monaco Yacht Club was the site for an ‘Angelic Evening’, a reception party that featured wines from Château d’Esclans, makers of Whispering Angel, in keeping with the theme of the night.

It followed two intimate dinners organised in conjunction with Monaco Private Label at the Hermitage Hotel and aboard a private superyacht, where two NASA astronauts – Michael Lopez-Alegria and Nicole Stott, gave guests the opportunity to discover Axiom Space, the American company that is looking to make space tourism a reality in our time.

Left to right: Nicholas Frankl, Tejpaul Bhatia (Axiom Space), Nicole Stott, Cdr. Michael Lopez-Alegría

Michael Lopez-Alegria is a Hall of Fame astronaut who has spent 257 days in space and made 67 spacewalks in his career. He spoke to the gathering about what it was like to hover 402 kilometres above the earth. He is currently in training to take on his fifth space mission coming up in February 2022, when the commander will be at the helm of Axiom’s first fully private mission to the International Space Station.

Joining him was seasoned space veteran Nicole Stott, who has spent a total of 104 days in space and is the 10th woman ever to perform a spacewalk. She also is notably the first person ever to have painted a watercolour whilst orbiting the planet. Stott’s pursuits have also taken her underwater where she was part of NASA’s Aquanaut team on the Aquarius undersea lab, undertaking an 18-day mission to explore the depths of the oceans.

During the YCM dinner, guests enjoyed a Whispering Angel-fuelled evening and truffle-based menu. This was followed by live music and dancing until the wee hours.

Lest the evening seem to be all high-flying fun and games, there was also a charity aspect with the reception raising awareness for YachtAid Global, an organisation that works in conservation efforts, disaster relief and humanitarian aid projects.

My Yacht Group will be holding similar Astronaut Dinners at select cities in the coming months.

Click on the images below to see more highlights…