The Principality will roll out the red carpet for the pioneering new Monaco Streaming Film Festival this summer, drawing industry heavyweights for a dynamic “festival-meets-summit” experience and an awards ceremony to celebrate the best in the streaming industry.
It was announced on Monday that the inaugural edition of the Monaco Streaming Film Festival (MCSFF) will take place from 3rd to 6th July at the Grimaldi Forum, just ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, allowing organisers to capitalise on the world’s most famous film festival while drawing attention to the future of the industry.
The event was co-founded by Netflix Founding VP Mitch Lowe and, with over 200 streaming platforms available to viewers globally, it will play an important role in bringing together content creators and talent, media and technology innovators in an industry that has hit overdrive with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We believe the industry has blossomed during the pandemic and offers the public access to exciting international content at a time when they need the world of entertainment and choice to come to them through their streaming platforms,” Tony Davis, CEO and Founder of MCSFF, told Monaco Life. “We aim to create an accessible and inclusive event that will support all content creators wishing to produce and showcase their work.”
The four-day hybrid festival includes premiers, an awards night, VIP receptions, a marketplace and a conference featuring talks by key personalities including Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak.
Organisers will leverage streaming technology to power the event, opening it to a global audience with a significant portion of virtual-only content and remote panels. The Grimaldi Forum’s new LED TV “wall” and broadcast studio will play a key part in helping to deliver the technology-driven festival.
The MCSFF is being organised in conjunction with major Hollywood streaming studios, the Princess Grace Foundation USA and the Global Environment Movement Association (GEMA) Foundation.
“It is important to show and bring to light the elements of our environment which are of great concern as well as all the solutions and efforts around solving them,” GEMA Co-Founder and Managing Partner Christian Moore told Monaco Life. “The MCSFF will play an important role in highlighting film makers and documentarians who bring these subjects to light.”
The festival will also present the first ever Princess Grace Award of Monaco, celebrating Princess Grace’s legacy in the film industry.
In six weeks time, the Principality will host its most anticipated, most extravagant event of the year, the Monaco Grand Prix – a weekend that is as famous for luscious parties as it is the challenging race itself.
But this will be far from a normal grand prix.
With travel restrictions, strict health guidelines, weary suppliers and a pandemic that continues to rage throughout Europe, how on earth is everybody planning to pull this thing off?
To gain some insider insight, Monaco Life spoke to one of the Principality’s most successful F1 events organisers, Sonia Irvine, who for almost 20 years has entertained race fans, royalty, celebrities and the F1 fraternity at her events including the star-studded Amber Lounge and the Charity Fashion Show.
But to understand where Sonia Irvine and her colleagues are today, we must first journey back to that terrifying moment in time when the world stopped.
Monaco Life: When did you first get a sense of the impact that Covid would have on you and your business?
Sonia Irvine: I think we were in a little bubble in Monaco and we didn’t actually realise what was about to happen to the world. I flew to Australia for the Melbourne Grand Prix as I always do, to see the race, meet everyone and get the drivers ready for the fashion show in Monaco. I arrived at 1am Thursday, went into the paddock, then at 10pm that night a team member tested positive for Covid. I rearranged my flight home immediately and flew out the next day along with a few of the drivers and team members. I spent the whole journey working out a survival strategy, because I thought this pandemic is going to be big; there’s no getting away from it. What happened when you returned to the Principality?
I returned home and the next day I met with various team members, advising them that I had to let them go. It was around eight consultants. As part of the strategy, I kept a core team of people who could multi-task, reducing our costs but still maintaining our capabilities to run events and concierge services.
We waited for an announcement about the Monaco Grand Prix, hoping and praying that things may improve. But eventually it was confirmed that the race was cancelled.
By that stage, mostly everything had been organised – the Fashion Show, Amber Lounge, race viewing yachts, the after parties… in reality we were ready to go. Then our job was to un-organise all of our production, but the priority was to advise our clients immediately as to how we were going to deal with their bookings. It was an extremely stressful time for us all, but I don’t believe we had one single complaint which rests with my team for their handling of things and our clients for being very supportive and understanding.
Next in line to be cancelled was the Singapore Grand Prix, and then Abu Dhabi – again un-organising things and looking after client bookings was the order of the day.
We then used our free time to develop the brand, rethink our business strategy and rebrand as the Amber Group to include all of the activities we do. We brought some policies more up to date and looked to the future, always trying to remain positive with all the negativity around. It was not easy, but necessary. How many events would you normally organise during the Monaco Grand Prix?
We have a ‘Tour with Legends’ involving ex-F1 drivers which starts in Italy and finishes at the Monaco Grand Prix. We have Thursday race viewing, Friday night Fashion Show, Friday yacht party, Saturday and Sunday yacht race viewing, Saturday night yacht cocktail, and then our renowned Amber Lounge dining and after parties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Amber Group yacht race viewing at the Monaco Grand Prix The cancellation of those events must have defined a gut-wrenching 2020 for you.Did you expect things to be different in 2021?
Funnily enough, I did think that when we finally moved into 2021, everything would be okay. We didn’t think the impact of the pandemic would continue as long as it has, and I think most people felt the same. Maybe its self-preservation, the need to have something to look forward to, something to hope for.
2021 is here and it’s a little bit better, but it’s still not what we thought it was going to be.
We have amended our marketing material for the 2021 events so many times, our designer must be pulling his hair out. But we’ve no alternative other than to keep trying and be flexible, to push ahead with what we can do at that moment in time. The Bahrain Grand Prix only sold tickets to vaccinated or fully recovered fans. Imola in Italy will not be open to members of the public, and the Portuguese and Spanish Grand Prix look poised to welcome fans amid rapid testing arrangements. So, what are you preparing for in Monaco?
With regards to Monaco, no one is sure. We have heard the grandstands will run at between 25% and 50% capacity, but no one is really sure at this stage.
What we do know is that the Principality is determined for the event to go ahead in some form with strong health measures in place. Our job is to plan and prepare for every possible scenario… yacht race viewing, yacht cocktails for on board guests, terraces, dining, cruises, drinks packages, etc.
One thing is for sure – we will not be earning any money this year. But we need to deliver products to our clients who booked in 2020 and who want to come in 2021, and also new bookings for those who want to experience the Monaco Grand Prix. Prince Albert at the Charity Fashion Show Has the Prince’s Government given you any indication as to when you might be told the final conditions?
We were told we were going to hear something in early March, but this date was pushed back. It makes it hard for event companies, but to be honest I don’t blame them. Covid changes daily and if they make a decision too early, the situation could be better than expected when it comes to the event date. It is the nature of the beast. Amber Lounge is your flagship event, arguably the biggest party of the Monaco Grand Prix. Is it impossible for that event to go ahead this year?
We have always known that it would be impossible to run a full-blown Amber Lounge. If you look at it logically, music or bar set-ups are not even allowed in restaurants. Currently, we do not even know if we can have music on our terraces or yachts this year. So, to answer your question, I would like to say ‘yes’, but it’s probably a ‘no’.
What we can run, however, is dining with our drinks packages and we plan to do this on Friday alongside our fashion show and on the Sunday night straight after the Grand Prix. Charity Fashion Show at Le Meridien How are you planning to pull the Fashion Show together?
We are clinging on to the hope that the Fashion Show will go ahead, and we will combine this with dining and our drinks packages.
We have had sign-off from the Grimaldi Forum to run the show, according to very strict health measures. For example, our models must be at a certain distance from the first row, and we have spaced out the seating so there is one free seat between guests. We actually have floor plans for every eventuality. The fact that the Grimaldi Forum has been at the forefront of hosting safe events must play in your favour in these uncertain times?
Yes, it was a big incentive in moving the fashion show (from Le Meridien), because we needed to have the reassurance that if we say we are going to run something, then we do. The staff at the Grimaldi Forum have been super-efficient to work with; they’ve also been very specific about how to run a safe event and we have collected data from other events on their working practices and amalgamated this into our own Covid health and safety manual. Photographers getting pictures of celebrities at the Charity Fashion Show How many people would you normally have at a fashion show?
We normally have between 250 to 300 media and 300 to 350 guests. We obviously will not be anywhere near that this year. We have been told currently we can run with 165 seated guests and there will probably be around 80 media, however we have to wait and see for the final numbers closer to the event. So, what can we expect from this year’s Fashion Show?
We have confirmed our charity as the Caudwell Children and funds raised will help the charity provide services, equipment, therapies and treatments for disabled children. For the first time ever, we have an online pre-auction this year where guests are welcome to pre-bid on all items which will go under the hammer on Friday 21st May at Amber Lounge Monaco in the Grimaldi Forum.
We have also just signed a contract with Monaco Fashion Week to work in collaboration with them to bring some great brands and elements to the show. Inessa creations, a Monegasque designer, will showcase her swimwear collection. The theme is ‘Made in Monaco’, I planned it for last year, but it was obviously made for this year.
Gulf Oil International and Oribe hair care are also partners and its fantastic to have their support. It’s been an incredibly difficult year, but everyone I speak to has their silver lining. What is yours?
On a personal level, it was incredible to be able to spend so much time with my family, something I have never been able to do. It had its own stresses, as we had to home school as well as work, but it was amazing.
I was also lucky enough to have my father stay with me for three months and he celebrated his 80th birthday with us. I would never have dreamed I would have been able to spend that time with him and I am eternally grateful for that precious time.
The work silver lining? Well, it gave us time to stop and think about things in a different way, to change direction a little. The team became stronger and more supportive of each other. As for the future, we have lots of positive things to look forward too: a beach party around the Dutch GP, the Singapore GP, the Abu Dhabi GP with a new venue, private parties and a wedding. So, let’s see where this year takes us…
Luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises, headquartered in Monaco, has announced that it will return to service in June with a fully vaccinated crew and guests. The health measure is increasingly being adopted by cruise lines across the globe as the industry battles for its recovery.
America’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued long-awaited technical guidance for cruise lines on Friday, bringing them one step closer to sailing again, particularly in U.S. waters.
It said that vaccination is critical in the safe resumption of cruising and it recommended all eligible port personnel, crew and passengers get a Covid-19 vaccine as soon as one becomes available to them.
But like many of its European counterparts, Silversea Cruises has gone one step further, making vaccination mandatory for both crew and passengers.
The company will set sail from 18th June with Silver Moon,the cruise line’s new flagship, for 10-day itineraries to the Eastern Mediterranean from Greece.
“Our guests share our excitement for our eagerly-anticipated healthy return to service. In recent months, we have seen the cruise industry resume responsibly in destinations around the world and we are delighted to announce these new inaugural sailings for our flagship,” says Roberto Martinoli, President and CEO of Silversea Cruises. “Vaccinations will play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit, which we prioritise above all else.”
Norwegian Cruise Line, one of the industry’s biggest operators, said Monday that it will resume sailing in Greece, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic in July with mandatory vaccinations for all crew and guests. During a press conference this week, President and CEO Harry Sommer said vaccines paired with multi-layered health and safety protocols meant the chances of an outbreak on a ship was “astronomically low”.
Silversea Cruises also says the vaccinations will form part of a comprehensive, multi-layered set of science-backed protocol approved by the Royal Caribbean Group’s Healthy Sail Panel, and that it will continue to work closely with relevant governing bodies and health authorities to evolve its health and safety procedures, as new health recommendations are issued and as the fluid situation advances.
The protocol includes enhanced sanitation procedures, increased air filtration, high-quality onboard medical care with state-of-the-art medical equipment, and enhanced medical teams on each ship.
Cruise ships across the globe have been docked for over a year because of the pandemic and many can only restart operations by following the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order.
Other lines to announce mandatory vaccinations include Saga Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and P&O Cruises.
Monaco remains the most expensive place on earth to buy property despite the Covid crisis, with an average price of €47,600 per square metre in 2020.
In the latest annual report by Savills, the number two position goes to Hong Kong, where a square metre costs €39,600.
Not to be left out, New York rounds out the top three with an average per metre price of €22,200, showing the Big Apple is still a desirable place to be.
These figures for 2020, as eye-watering as they may be, represent a drop from the previous year. Monaco saw a small 1.1% decline in value compared to 2019, whilst Hong Kong took a slightly bigger hit, falling by 3.9%.
These same three cities also have the highest rental prices per square metre. Monaco is top of the heap with the average cost hovering at €89 per square metre. New York surpasses Hong Kong on this front though, with every square metre there costing renters €66 compared to €60.
In a year that was marked by Covid, it is not surprising to see that transaction numbers in Monaco declined by 11% in 2020 compared to the previous year. The number of properties sold with four or more bedrooms plummeted by 38%, while villa transactions fell by 5%. This is attributed to the impact of travel restrictions which left overseas buyers largely out of the equation.
The most active price point in Monaco was in properties under €5 million, accounting for 71% of all sales. In this area, transactions were down by only 6%. On the other end of the spectrum, those priced at over €10 million were down by a significant 39%.
That being said, buyers at the higher price points weren’t finding any fire sales. Prices remained stable , showing a willingness to buy in Monaco in 2020 at pre-pandemic prices. In fact, the decline in transactions at 1.1% appears to be a minor blip due to circumstances and the forecast is that the upward trajectory will continue.
Meanwhile, rental prices, whilst the highest in the world, dropped in 2020 by 23%. This is thought to be due to a fall in demand brought on by the health crisis. Less new residents, who often rent before buying, meant less renters in general, thus reducing demand. This trend is expected to reverse once travel restrictions are lifted.
Savills predicts a general surge in demand in the Principality when the worst of the pandemic effects are over in the coming year.
Photo of Monaco by Cassandra Tanti for Monaco Life
After a shockingly dismal season last year, Charles Leclerc’s Scuderia Ferrari team is starting to hit their stride again with a new team member and a redesigned car.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz started this season off right at the Bahrain Grand Prix with sixth and eighth place finishes respectively, giving hope that last year’s slump was simply a blip on the radar.
Despite achieving a very respectable sixth, Leclerc said he struggled at the weekend so his fourth-place qualifier followed by the strong finish surprised even him.
“In FP2, FP3 I have been struggling with the car and overdriving a little bit, not driving very well in general,” Leclerc told Sky Sports 1. “I knew inside I could do a good lap but until you do it you never really know if you can. Then arrived qualification and the feeling was good from the beginning. I built up the pace and managed to do that lap in Q3 which I am very happy with.” Photo of team Scuderia Ferrari at the Bahrain GP, credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office
After the car troubles of last year, Scuderia Ferrari’s new design seems to suit both Leclerc and Sainz, with Leclerc saying how content he was with the results.
“It’s been a good race overall,” he told reporters. “We were lacking a little bit of pace in general compared to Lando (Norris) but otherwise it’s been quite a good race, and especially a good progress compared to last year, which is what I want to keep in mind for this race. It’s only a sixth place, but compared to last year, it’s a good result, so I’m really looking forward to the next races now.”
Sainz’s maiden race with his new team and eighth place finish was exactly what he anticipated. The Spanish driver said his slow start had been a deliberate decision to get accustomed to the new car.
“It’s pretty good, especially because, all things considered, I had a very strong end to the race,” said Sainz. “I was very quick on the medium and the hard tyres. I had a poor start, basically due to a couple of mistakes, but also me consciously taking it maybe a bit too easy in lap one, just wanting to make sure I made it through that lap and making sure I was getting to know the car in dirty air conditions.
“It’s a completely new experience, completely new car, so I wanted to take it easy and wanted to make sure I did the whole race. Then once I got myself into clean air, honestly I was very quick. So, I’m not going to complain, I’m going to take it as a learning curve and keep improving.”
The Bahrain Grand Prix was won by world champion Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen and Valteri Bottas rounded out the podium. The next race will be the Emilia Romangna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy on 18th April.
Monaco Life was invited to the exclusive launch of the ‘Cherry Blossom, Make A Wish’ event at the Hôtel de Paris organised by The High Life Monaco and officially opened by Prince Albert.
It was an official opening at the highest level on Thursday 25th March, bringing together the Prince, Vice-President of his Foundation Olivier Wenden, CEO of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) Jean-Luc Biamonti, and some of the Principality’s most significant philanthropists.
Organised by Mayu Wittouck, founder of The High Life Monaco and wife of billionaire resident Eric Wittouck, the event is designed to take visitors on a journey to the heart of Japanese tradition, with all proceeds going to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Photo of Prince Albert II surrounded by Mayu Wittouck, Olivier Wenden and Jean-Luc Biamonti during Thursday’s official opening, by SBM
The stunning scene is set with pink cherry blossom trees that fill the luxurious courtyard of the Hôtel de Paris. Perfectly manicured Japanese gardens and gently flowing water fountains are nestled amongst enormous Mediterranean palms, all conjuring a sense of zen in the beating heart of the Principality.
‘Cherry Blossom, Make A Wish’ at the Hôtel de Paris was originally scheduled to take place last year but was postponed because of the pandemic. It seems perhaps even more fitting that it be held this year. Glasshouses hold Japanese-themed workshops throughout the Cherry Blossom event
This celebration, hanami, of the arrival of spring and the blooming of sakura (cherry blossoms), is a recognition of the ephemeral nature of life, a symbol of rebirth and hope that comes to Monaco at a time when everyone is looking forward to a brighter future.
“This particular event has been organised by a close friend of the foundation to celebrate the spring,” Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Vice-President Olivier Wenden told Monaco Life, “and in my mind, celebrating the spring means celebrating birth and renewal. This is the kind of spirit which animates the foundation today with the post pandemic world, and the bloom or green shift we can implement. It’s a symbol of hope for a future that can rely more on the solutions and opportunities for the ocean rather than the obstacles and challenges.” Photo of Prince Albert writing his wish on an ema, by SBM
Prince Albert was the first to write his wish to the kami (gods) on a small wooden plaque called an ema and hang it on a portico, traditionally positioned at the entrance of a shrine.
Until 10th April, the public is also invited to purchase their ema and write their wishes to the gods, before all the wooden plaques are ritually burned and the wishes liberated from their writers. Photo of the wishes hung in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Paris, by Monaco Life
It is one of many traditions that is available to experience over the two-week event. Creative workshops will be held in the glass houses teaching the art of origami (paper folding), ikebana (flower arranging) and calligraphy. The little ones can discover the art of Japanese storytelling with kamishibai, while Chef Phillippe Joannès and his team have been busy creating delectable Japanese-themed treats.
“We created chocolate geishas and sumos, bonsai trees and sakura eggs, kawai biscuits, and cakes,” Pastry Department Manager Ken Thomas told Monaco Life. “There are different kinds of breads and brioche, some shaped like sushi or carrots in the theme of Easter.” Photo of the treats available for sale during Cherry Blossom, by SBM
Available for takeaway, the treats can also be enjoyed after a delicious Japanese lunch, prepared by a sushi master every day in the courtyard for reserved guests. Japanese beer, sake, and a Japanese-themed cocktail round out the culinary offerings.
To comply with health measures, reservations for the workshops and lunch are needed, and numbers are understandably restricted. But it is another example of how Monaco is able to maintain a certain level of culture and lifetyle in these challenging times.
“This is exactly our objective, under the leadership of the Prince and his government,” Jean-Luc Biamonti told Monaco Life. “We don’t want to have a dead city, so we are trying, within the constraints, to stay alive. Therefore, we organise these types of events. Normally, for an opening like this, there would be hundreds of people in this patio; today it’s limited to 36. So yes, we are keeping these events, trying to show that Monaco is alive, even if it is within those constraints unfortunately. But we are not stopping, we are fighting.” Photo of an ikebana workshop, by Monaco Life
In keeping with its “100% donation policy”, all money generated from ‘Cherry Blossom, Make a Wish’ will go towards the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s BeMed initiative, which aims for a plastic-free Mediterranean sea. To raise awareness among young visitors, the foundation has its own glasshouse where, through playful activities, children will learn about the challenges facing the ocean.
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Monaco Life: When did you first get a sense of the impact that Covid would have on you and your business? 
