For most people, the idea of making it in Hollywood today involves a ton of backdoor wheeling and dealing, some backstabbing, and an endless fight to step on others to get to the top.

Benh Zeitlin has taken the opposite approach.

Rather than seeing himself as a godlike...

It's difficult to walk around Dubai without being in constant awe of one's surroundings. The modern city is nothing short of incredible. Built from the ground up within the last 40 years, a main argument it is using to win a World Expo bid in 2020, Dubai seems to boast...

While Slovenia is a stop on countless rapid-fire tours through the Balkans, what many people don't know is it's a must-see destination in its own right that deserves much more than 24 hours on-and-off a bus. From stretches of gorgeous greenery, hidden underground worlds, relaxing thermal waters, and rustic home...

Over the past decade Istanbul has made aggressive headway in the contemporary culture arena. With the opening of the Istanbul Modern and innovative galleries like Arter and Galerist, the city offers a rich spectrum of art and exploration. A new generation of filmmakers, fashion designers, musicians and artists are proudly...

Some brands know how to take the extra step when it comes to satisfying their clientele. One car company is known for matching the upholstery of a car to a customer's nail polish color, or building a customized wood veener from a buyer's own tree. Another brand has 80 hotels...

The Kid with a Bike, the latest from the Belgian Dardenne Brothers, just opened stateside, courtesy of Sundance Selects. The touching story already picked up the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes last year in addition to being...

Shaun White rises above

It's hard to imagine a time when snowboarding wasn't in the mainstream, yet it has come a long, long way since the early Snurfer races of the 1970s. This past weekend wrapped the 2012 Burton U.S. Open took...

To have the presence of Cannes Artistic Director Thierry Frémaux at your festival is like getting a seal of approval from the godfather of cinema himself. Arguably one of the most important players in the film industry today,...

Marjane Satrapi is a person gifted with perfect charisma: She's loyal, funny, brutally honest, and she has a big, big soul that's visible from across a room. Not to mention she's one of the most original artists working today.

The Academy Award-nominated director and best-selling author of Persepolis...

Film director Terry Gilliam has one passion in life: to make movies that truly affect his audience, to enhance their dreams (or their nightmares), and to welcome them into an alternate reality. In his 40+ years of filmmaking, giving us classics like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Brazil, The...

Fresh off an Ecuadorian tour with his No Smoking Orchestra, the twice-awarded Palme d'Or director Emir Kusturica flew to Morocco for the closest thing he can get to downtime. As president of the Jury of the 11th annual

Jessica Chastain is not your typical Hollywood actress. She approaches her surroundings as a student, eager to take in the advice and help of the directors, writers, producers and actors around her. She is exceedingly calm and gracious, responding with a "thank you" after you ask her a question. The...

Photo courtesy of FIFM2011

A horde of thousands pushed against flimsy metal railings. Cameras held high over their heads, swarms of Moroccan fans waited hours in Marrakesh for a chance to get a glimpse of a man who could arguably be the world's...

In a short amount of time, the words "eco-friendly" and "green" have quickly become half-hearted buzzwords. I've stayed at plenty of "eco-luxe" hotels, for example, that while providing freshly-laundered bamboo sheets throw out enough food to feed a small nation. It's a hard thing to do, and few...

In my time in New York, I've lived in a walk-up tenement, a Tribeca loft, and now an 1880s-era Brownstone. One trait has always stuck with me throughout my moves-- a lack of organization. Whether I'm working with a shoebox-sized room or...

Tourists the world over flock to Tahiti not just to bathe in the beloved sun, but to stock up on the island's shiniest export: pearls. Unique in shape and vividly colorful, each pearl is singular, reflecting the glittering lagoons of French Polynesian coral islands.

Stiletto Living: Part Two. In our unending quest to take stilettos to the ends of the earth, my editorial partner Bryce Gruber and I decided to follow-up our pilates experiment with a golfing outing. The experiment originally started with my...

One of this year's most anticipated collection NAHM comes from an unlikely duo: Alexandria Hilfiger, of fashion royalty; and Nary Mavivong, who after living homeless as a teenager, pursued his lifelong dream of working in the fashion industry (a story that is...

Photo: Ariston Anderson

Last year, Marc Jacobs grabbed headlines when he picked a couple of girls off the street to walk his runway show. He just loved their style, much to the envy of wannabe models everywhere. This year...

It was a mere five years ago that Starwood took over Le Meridien, taking on a new direction for the global hotel leader, which today boasts 105 properties in 50 countries. After exiting 45 properties that weren't up to par with the brand, Le Meridien now...