Every Fork in the Road The life of Lady B has always been a sliding door–the difference is that at the crucial crossroads, she has always embarked in both directions. Mother or businesswoman? Movie producer or socialite? She is, after all, among the most envied women in the world. But Lady B did not have to choose; she did it all.
Photo: Monika Bacardi
The Extraordinary Life of Lady Monika Bacardi
BY JANUARIA PIROMALLO
The distinctive feature that strikes you upon meeting Lady Bacardi at the lounge of the Grand Hotel Park, where she is a regular, is her good manners. Bacardi speaks with a gentle lilt, and her tone is soft and sweet, as she gushes about Gstaad. "I love Gstaad. I met my beloved husband here. And my daughter goes to school here, too!" exclaims Lady Monika Barcardi, a women of many faces. Born in Italy, Lady Bacardi was a student of media and communication at La Sapienza University. She is fluent in five languages, which serve her travels from Monaco to Gstaad, from Los Angeles to London, from Cannes to Venice. In Gstaad now, as most winters, she is taking her time to relax and to read some scripts. Lady Bacardi loves modern art, photography, and especially film. She has now successfully turned her passion into a fruitful partnership with the talented Italian producer Andrea Iervolino, only 28 years old, and co-founded the AMBI Pictures Group. Lady Bacardi is strongly convinced that while cinema might not change the world, it can act as the conduit for important messages. “I am deeply convinced that cinema can help change the world. I believe in the power of universal stories making a difference,” says Bacardi. “Cinema contains everything a creative mind can offer, from the epic thrill of sci-fi adventure to the discrete heartbeats of a young love story. I really wanted to help and foster young creators, so that the audience can see their first works.” It is not a coincidence that she is in Gstaad
Monika Bacardi (left) with Sarah Jessica Parker (second from right) in the same days that James Franco is having his first artistic exposition, "Koo Koo", here. Lady Bacardi just produced "In Dubious Battle" with the Hollywood golden boy, a film that portrays the struggle between labour and capital in 1930s America as close to all-out warfare. But Bacardi’s impressive film production credits don't end there–she was responsible for The Humbling starring Al Pacino and Andròn–The Black Labyrinth with Alec Baldwin. She says AMBI Pictures Group’s goal is to produce 12 movies per year and distribute them through AMBI distribution in Los Angeles, California. “We are working on a movie with the famous Italian actress Claudia Cardinale and the Hollywood star Sarah Jessica Parker called All Roads Lead to Rome and another one on Ferruccio Lamborghini's life,” explains Bacardi, when asked what’s next on her projects. “We have a lot of films in production.” Despite AMBI’s success, she is yet again reaching for the stars by continuing to expand the company’s influence. “We have recently assumed control of the majority of the Exclusive Media Group (EMG) library that includes more than 400 films and the legendary Memento,
Donnie Darko, and End Of Watch,” Bacardi boasts. With a name like Bacardi, you may wonder if Lady B is indeed related to the eponymous rum. Yes. Her husband Luis Adalberto Facundo Gomez del Campo Bacardi, Lord of Bayfield Hall (who sadly passed away in 2005) was a descendant of the founder of the Bacardi company. To this day, it is the largest privately held spirits company in the world. Lord Bacardi is remembered fondly by many here in Gstaad. Gianni Biggi, the ex-director of the Grand Hotel Park, remembers him as a true gentleman, an icon of the Gstaad high life. However, Bacardi mixes this high life with a score of humanitarian activities. She is actively involved in several causes and undertakes gestures of solidarity to raise funds and awareness in favour of the social issues that are dear to her heart. In the last few years, Bacardi has offered her support to dozens of charitable organisations in Monaco, France, and around the world. With a life fit for a Queen, or rather, Lady, might Bacardi eventually be the subject of a movie about her own extraordinary life? “Too soon,” she smiles. “I know it could be a great story. But I prefer to wait.”
LIFESTYLE // GSTAADLIFE // ISSUE 2 // FEBRUARY 19, 2016
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