Taking place for the last 53 years in the ultra-romantic setting of the city of Taormina in Sicily, the Taormina Film Festival is an intimate and exclusive event that has nothing to do with the large media machines of Cannes or Venice. Ideally located in this small but superb city nestled in the hills overlooking the Mediterranean, the Taormina Film Festival disposes of a splendid and exceptionally well-preserved ancient Greek amphitheatre as the setting for its gala soirées. As a valued, glamorous, and exclusive event, it is perfectly suited to a brand such as Harry Winston, which has sponsored it for five years.

Among all the watch – and jewellery – brands, Harry Winston can duly pride itself for having created close ties with the universe of cinema long before the others. Since 1947, the name of Harry Winston has been intimately associated with film due to one of its most glamorous events, the Academy Awards ceremony. The first jeweller to ‘adorn’ the stars for the Oscars, Harry Winston then went on to develop close relationships with this milieu. The jeweller was also immortalized in the famous song, ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’, from the 1953 movie ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’, when Marilyn Monroe sang “Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me all about it!”
Another episode that made headlines was the famous 61.42-carat, pear-shaped diamond, cut by Harry Winston, which Richard Burton gave to Elizabeth Taylor, that has since become known as the ‘Taylor-Burton’ diamond. In fact, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor participated in the 1953 Taormina Film Festival.
To use a current expression, the world of cinema has now become part of the ‘DNA’ of Harry Winston. As the brand’s Marketing Director Jean-Philippe Coulaud explains, “For Harry Winston, Taormina is like a small showroom, where we create, above all, special relationships with opinion leaders, strengthen our contacts with the film milieu, and work on our image.”

Concretely, the presence of Harry Winston in Taormina is seen in various ways. The brand has a large private terrace at the magnificent Grand Hotel Timeo, a building dating back to 1873, located in a park of about 25,000 square metres. Every evening, the stars and special guests of the festival gather there before going directly to the Greek Theatre next door where the night’s galas take place.
Each evening during the festival, Harry Winston presents a Taormina Art Award for Cinematic Excellence to someone from the world of film. The prize is a specially engraved limited-edition watch. For men, it is a rose gold, automatic Excenter, featuring bi-directional seconds, while for women, the prize is a rose gold, diamond-set Avenue C timepiece. Over the last few years, the notable recipients have been Michael Douglas, Virna Lisi, Joseph Fienes, Ornella Mutti, Victoria Abril, Matt Dillon, Antonio Banderas, Andie MacDowell, Valeria Golino, Giuseppe Tornatore, Hanna Schygulla, and André Téchiné, among many others.
Far from the madness of the media, Harry Winston has chosen to work quietly, but with class and distinction, as it continually strengthens its ties with the Seventh Art, in the very cinematic framework of the Taormina Film Festival.

Source: Europa Star October - November 2007 Magazine Issue