James Franco toasted Ahna O'Reilly at a dinner party held on a yacht last night in Cannes. The event, thrown by James and The Art of Elysium, honored the actress's impressive debut at the film festival. Ahna is starring in not one but two movies being presented at the cinematic celebration. She acts alongside James in his latest passion project, As I Lay Dying, and is also in town for the premiere of Fruitvale Station, which was one of the most talked-about films at Sundance earlier this year. That project saw Ahna reunite with her The Help costar, Octavia Spencer, who stopped by the soiree last night. Guests mingled on the deck — where James and Ahna were the center of attention — over Champagne and dinner as the sun set on the South of France.
James and Ahna dated for several years before parting ways in 2011, then recently reunited professionally for their latest film. Last night, they shared a hug as James arrived before catching up with the creative crowd in attendance. It was a relaxed evening for the pair, who are preparing to unveil As I Lay Dying tonight at its Cannes premiere. The movie is an adaptation of William Faulkner's most acclaimed novel and marks James's feature-length directorial debut. It's one of 17 movies from around the world in competition at the festival, which continues throughout the week.
