Actress Béatrice Libert, one of the gorgeous Bond-Girls of ‘MOONRAKER’ (1979), was honored at the 6th CINEWAYS FILMFESTIVAL in Braunschweig, Germany
It is always a pleasure to spend time with familiar faces from the Bond family and Belgian actress Béatrice Libert, who starred alongside Roger Moore in ‘MOONRAKER’, is one of those, whose face is recognised all over the world. Although her role as Mademoiselle Deradier in the 1979 Bond film was rather small and not a speaking part, she stood out because of her gorgeous looks.
However, when I first met Béatrice for an interview at Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte in 2015, I realised that she is also a person who absolutely adores her many fans and meets with them whenever she can. It was about time to give some love back and invite her to Germany – something I had promised her when we parted in Paris in August 2015.
As Co-Organiser and Creative Director of the CINEWAYS FILMFESTIVAL in Braunschweig, I was in charge of planning and hosting the annual James Bond Evening together with the James Bond Club Germany. Embedded within the evening since this year is the world’s first ever James Bond Award, given out to the talented people in front and behind the camera for their contribution and dedication to the global Bond phenomenon.
When her plane touched down in Hanover, Béatrice had no idea what to expect from her German fans – everything was kept very secret. The first major event was the opening party at DISTRICT Cocktailbar on Thursday where she was warmly received by fans upon arrival. A magical moment occured when Bond director and editor John Glen spotted Béatrice at his arrival and they instantly reconnected after many years. It was clear, that this would also be an emotional journey for everyone. Sharing the table with stunt legend and actor Brad Harris, we had a toast with the iconic Martini!
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The Friday began with a relaxed coffee at Café Lisel in the city center of Braunschweig where members of the James Bond Club Germany, including its president Andreas Pott and vice-president Wolfgang Thürauf, got together. On the schedule was an excursion to the imperial city of Goslar to visit a James Bond exhibition.
The exhibition visit in Goslar was very joyful and Béatrice was over the moon that we had taken her to see it and explained many of the wonderful collectors items on display. The museum was also impressed to actually have a Bond-Girl as a guest! Naturally, we couldn’t leave without having Béatrice sign the guest book.
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Back in Braunschweig, the James Bond evening began with the arrival of the star guests at the Universum Cinema at 5.30 pm. Béatrice Libert, John & Janine Glen as well as stunt legend Brad Harris mingled with the guests and enjoyed a drink before the show with an incredibly well-dressed crowd of fans. Still, everything was very secret and neither of them had a clue of what to expect.
The 90 minute pre-show before the feature film ‘LICENCE TO KILL’ was filled with many memories of the James Bond films. Having the honor to present the evening in front of everyone, I was of course nervous and excited from head to toe.
Video Tributes for the entire franchise as well as a lecture by Bond expert Danny Morgenstern kept the guests well entertained. After John Glen had received the first ever CINEWAYS JAMES BOND AWARD to standing ovations and long applause, it was Béa’s turn.
We screened the interview with her from my charity documentary ‘A BOND FOR LIFE’ which she had not seen before. It was very emotional and a truly magical moment when I gave the award to Béatrice in front of the audience that had once again risen from their seats to applaud her. For both recipients, the appreciation of the audience was a fascinating and moving sight. The room was filled with love and admiration – my plan to make the guests as happy as possible had succeeded!
Deeply grateful and visibly moved, Béatrice addressed the audience in French and expressed her love and appreciation for the attention she has received from the German Bond community. Speaking to the audience about the importance of the award, I emphasised, that it is not an award for simply being connected to one or more Bond films but also for keeping the legacy of Bond alive and cherishing the many fans around the globe – something that this years recipients have done for many years.
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Shortly before Béatrice returned to France, she was interviewed by Director Carsten Panitz and Festival Organizer Dr. Michael Flintrop for the upcoming documentary about John Glen, entitled ‘FOR OUR EYES ONLY: JOHN GLEN’, scheduled to be released in 2018.
It was a fantastic event and I am deeply thankful to my dear friend Béatrice that she visited my hometown for this wonderful occassion!
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