A futuristic silhouette glided quietly into Cannes, and suddenly every camera, every eye, and every whisper turned to its presence. THIS IS IT served as a spectacle. Anchored off the Croisette, its aerodynamic form sliced through the Côte d’Azur evening like a spaceship suddenly docked from another world. Its arrival unleashed a wave of fascination that rippled from the red carpet to the marina, drawing the powerful, the famous, and those who steer culture’s course.
Sculpted Drama On Water
Its design stunned before the guest list did. At 43.5 meters, this multihull creation by Tecnomar, Project 599, boasts organic, aerodynamic lines and striking asymmetry that reads like fluid sculpture, not yacht. Over 600 square meters of glass create floor-to-ceiling panoramic walls and fold-out balconies, dissolving any barrier between inside and the Mediterranean night. Interiors, crafted by Mattia Piro and Gian Marco Campanino, favor smooth, curved architecture wrapped in plush leathers, metallic finishes of bronze, platinum, and gold, and handcrafted detailing that radiates both warmth and brilliance.
Owner Tasos Papanastasiou, a self-made financier behind XM, one of the world’s largest forex platforms set out to create not just a yacht, but “architecture on water.” He insisted THIS IS IT had to be realizable, not just a sketch of dreams, compelling even in its radical form. “When I first saw the concept drawings, I said, ‘This is it!’” he recalled, an exclamation that became the vessel’s name and spirit.
A-List Magnet In Motion
When the Cannes Film Festival’s glitz met THIS IS IT’s sleek frame, a magnet was born. The yacht’s decks became launchpads for some of the festival’s most talked-about gatherings. Ray-Ban, debuting A$AP Rocky’s new Wayfarer Puffer frames, hosted a red-lit, cinematic after-party aboard the yacht following the premiere of his film Highest 2 Lowest. Celebrities spilled in: Rihanna in electric blue, Jeffrey Wright, Barbara Palvin, Dylan Sprouse, Paul Pogba, Jameela Jamil, Romee Strijd, Alton Mason, each drawn into a world that felt both intimate and mythic.
Another evening, the yacht turned into a vault of cinema lore. A private CAA event hosted by Hollywood’s premiere agency representing legends like Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg unfolded under a discreet canopy of luxury and mystery. The hush of privilege only deepened the vessel’s aura as the week’s chosen site of glitter and gravity.
The Pulse That Rippled Through Cannes
THIS IS IT was more than a party venue; it was the festival’s beating heart. Social feeds pulsated with its curves and lights as hashtags like #THISISITyacht and #CannesOnWater trended internationally. Journalists painted it as the week’s “most futuristic and glamorous star.” Forbes called it the 143-foot multihull that dominated the Riviera scene, boasting floating vertical gardens, an elephant-skin textured bar, Carrara marble basins, and sensory rooms that felt more art installation than accommodation.
Charter rates reflect the yacht’s weight in culture as much as luxury: €350,000 to €390,000 per week, excluding fuel and provisions. Power matches poise: as a catamaran, she cruises with uncommon stability, reaching nearly 19 knots, offering the volume of a much larger craft in a sleeker package.
A Statement That Echoes
THIS IS IT defines expectations of what a superyacht can be: more than lavish travel, it is art, gathering place, and bold statement. In Cannes, where stars rise on red carpets, it lowered itself into view as the star itself.
Tasos Papanastasiou’s vision was never subtle. “I didn’t want another yacht,” he said. He wanted something that would stop people in their tracks. Cannes went still, not just for the films, but for the vessel that showed how luxury might look when it dares to cut through expectation like a comet across the sea.
