“Yesterday’s unknown will be tomorrow’s prince of Fhloston Paradise, the hotel of a thousand and one follies, home of luxury and beauty. A magic fountain flowing with non-stop wine, women and Bootchie Koochie Koo…”
All photos by Luke Kingma
BBQ Films’Â latest event, a screening of 1997’s The Fifth Element, was by far its most intriguing yet. After all, the task of recreating Fhloston Paradise, an intergalactic resort planet full of flying cruise ships and strange beings from across the stars, is a daunting one. But with help from World Yacht, a private charter yacht company based on Manhattan’s Hudson River, Gabriel Rhoads and the BBQ Films crew did all that and more.
The night began at pier 81, where a massive, three-story cruiser was waiting for anyone with a Multi-Pass. As is customary with a trip to Fhloston, a welcome party was there to greet each and every passenger (many dressed to the nines with Fifth Element-inspired costumes) with “Hawaiian” leis and super green cocktails.
From there, it was onto the top deck for a luau and a quick gaze at the magnificence of the Angel Constellation (kidding – this is New York… there are no stars here). A brief DJ set set the mood for the rest of the evening, which would be far, far more than a simple film screening.
Highlights from the night included burlesque-style performances by Diva Plavalaguna and Leeloo Multi-Pass herself, as well as sweeping views of Manhattan’s east and west sides (we’re not sure about you, but we’d take a loop around Lady Liberty over a journey across the galaxy any day). For the rest of the night, the wine, cocktails and popcorn flowed plentifully while everyone onboard enjoyed Bruce Willis’ greatest performance ever. This last note is not up for discussion.
BBQ Films has managed to do something very few event-based companies have done – improve exponentially with each successive screening. We made it to their birthday party for Patrick Bateman back in April, which was mind blowing in and of itself. It’s hard to imagine how they’ll be able to top this one, but if the past is any indication, what comes next will be more invigorating than anything you’ve ever seen. BBQ Films has moved beyond simply bringing great movies to life. They’re recreating them, and they’re casting you.
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