George Clooney Fetes ‘The Descendants’ at NYFF

George Clooney and the full cast of Alexander Payne’s new film, “The Descendants,” gathered at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall last night for the closing-night gala of the New York Film Festival. Following the 9 p.m. screening, for which members of the public could purchase special tickets, there was a private after-party at hotspot Stone Rose Lounge, owned by Clooney’s close friend, Rande Gerber.

The stone and rosewood lounge was nearly filled to capacity, and guests huddled together on leather seats overlooking Columbus Circle, or congregated by high tables at the bar. Clooney walked into the dim room nearly unnoticed at around 11:30, and chatted with lounge staff and some guests before heading out for the night. Earlier in the evening, Clooney stepped out on the red carpet with his girlfriend, Stacy Keibler.

When asked about the release of his other film, “The Ides of March,” which he also directed, Clooney told Speakeasy, “we had a really good hold this weekend, so we feel good. It’s nice because films like that are hard to get made and now we’re already in profit.”

Director Payne held court in the center of the room well past midnight, wearing blue earplugs that protected against the loud music (judging by the ringing in our ears this morning, Speakeasy thinks he may have had the right idea). Matthew Lillard, who plays Clooney’s nemesis in the film, was ebullient in discussing his just-completed directorial debut, a short film called “Fat Kid Rules the World,” scored by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready — by our count, he gave Speakeasy three hugs. The adorable young actress in ‘The Descendants,’ Amara Miller, plopped down on a leather seat and seemed to be having fun, even if it was past her bedtime. Earlier in the evening, Miller’s father told Speakeasy that she was instructed by Payne not to take any acting lessons, even though this was her first film. The result, a natural and unaffected performance, made dad deeply proud.

In keeping with the film’s Hawaiian setting, there were fruity “passion” cocktails, and Belgian beers served by the bottle (extra points if you correctly pronounced Hoegaarden). Attentive waitresses walked around serving finger foods such as pigs in a blanket, shrimp dumplings, an endive filled with pate (not a popular choice), spanakopita, and mini red velvet cupcakes. A private elevator opened onto the lounge, spilling out more and more guests of Fox Searchlight, then taking small groups back down four flights to their waiting town cars.source