No Hollywood awards ceremony is complete without a champagne toast. But the 3rd Annual Moët Moments Film Festival, which took over the Metrograph Theater last night, featured more glass clinking than most. The evening’s lineup of pint-sized films, curated by a jury that included actresses Billie Lourd and Laura Dern, were chosen for their ability to embody this year’s festive theme, “A Cause for Celebration,” in 60 seconds or less—many of them featuring cameos by bottles of Moët & Chandon.
Borne out of the legacy champagne brand’s partnership with the Golden Globes, the Moët Moments Film Festival has taken place during the Tribeca Film Festival since 2016. In addition to participation in one of Hollywood’s top festivals, the prize offers emerging filmmakers the opportunity to hobnob with industry professionals; Joining Dern and Lourd, a panel of all-female judges including producer Leslie Urdang and Anke Hoffman of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association bestowed top honors on two films this year: “You Deserve It” by Angelita Mendoza and “Bout” by Aubrey Smyth.
And while Lourd may have a strong familial connection to the Golden Globes (her aunt Joely Fisher served as Miss Golden Globes in 1992, and the show’s in-memoriam to mom and grandmother Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds was a standout of last year’s ceremony) the 25-year-old was surprised by the offer to come aboard the festival. “I was completely shocked because I’ve never done anything like it,” she says, but adds that she jumped at the chance to channel one of her childhood obsessions. “I saw myself as a Randy Jackson on the original American Idol; I wanted to be the one who’s nice but also offers constructive criticism. And to say “dawg” all the time.”
Lourd’s judging qualifications don’t end there. Long before acting in action-horror romps like Scream Queens and American Horror Story, Lourd was doing her own stunts in childhood home movies. “I was always making Jackass-style movies of me and my friends like zip-lining or rolling down hills. And then we’d do like an interview segment, like, ‘How did you feel about that?” she recalls. “Yes, people did get hurt. There were a lot of injuries. There was a broken ankle. Don’t judge me.”
While her zip-lining days may be behind her, Lourd’s current outlook on life echoes the “carpe diem” message behind the Moët Moments festival. “As the prophet Drake once said, YOLO,” she laughs. “It sounds stupid but I’m serious—I really try to enjoy every day to the fullest. I’m raising a glass to life every day.”
Main image: Billie Lourd (Credit: Benjamin Lozovsky)
