A few fun trivial facts you may not know, from reliable sources that may remain anonymous;

The Aruba Hyatt's most difficult guest is Elton John. He's a regular visitor and likes to walk around naked, even when answering the door for room service. He usually commands that his Hyatt attendees are only men, and has a long list of requirements, from 50 odd kinds of vitamins to be lined up in strict alphabetical order, to a lifetime supply of pickles.

Richard Gere, on the other hand, (a guest at the Hyatt this week for the Aruba International Film Festival) was "absolutely lovely" according to Hyatt staff, and required only one thing; green tea. Oh, and a boat to an island to meditate. "Certainly Mr Gere. What specific type or brand of green tea?", the Hyatt diligently inquired. Gere's reply - Any type. As long as its green.

Given he is a green tea lover, Gere may have been one of the few guests not given over to more than a few glasses of Chandon, courtesy of festival sponsor Moet who made sure the champagne was overflowing at the fest. Gere was asked by festival sponsor Moet to kindly autograph a bottle to be sold at auction. Gere agreed, but only after confirmation from Moet, in writing, that they´d strictly abide by his sole condition - that the proceeds go to charity.  That charity will now happily enjoy the benefits of being just two degrees of separation from Richard Gere.

Wondering else might be two degrees of separation, I googled the dear Mr Richard Gere, and discovered that a friend on mine Andrew Deane is credited on IMDB as a producer on 'The Double', Gere's next movie. And Filmfestivals.com editor Bruno Chatelin (also walking the red carpet at Aruba this week) knew Gere during his tenure as Marketing Director and Managing Director for Colombia TriStar Films and Twentieth Century Fox. So that makes even little ol me two degrees of separation from Gere, twice.

And if you've ever been curious who is Gere's ´Pretty Woman´, well Richard Gere is also just 2 degrees of separation from another special guest of the festival, Academy Award nominated actor and filmmaker Griffin Dunne -  Gere's girlfriend is Griffin's ex-wife.

Griffin's younger brother also dated for many years a documentary director who works with Daniel Iron, producer of Cairo Time, another attendee at the Aruba International Film Festival this week.

By coincidence Cairo Time actress Patricia Clarkson, who graced the Aruba red carpet in silver screen style on Tuesday night, also costars in 'Zombieland' with Emma Stone, star of Griffin Dunne's short film 'Veronica' which screened at the festival just the day before.

Could everyone at the festival be linked to Richard Gere. Or Griffin Dunne?

It's a small world. Particularly in the film world. And this week, that world came to Aruba.

With such Hollywood elite gracing the hallways of the Aruba Hyatt for the first ever Aruba International Film Festival, it will be intriguing to see what star studded talent the festival will attract in the years to come...

Wendy Dent

Aruba 9 June 2010