For one weekend each April, our nation’s capital receives a jolt of star power thanks to the annual mingling of entertainment, media, and political elite that is the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Red carpets are walked. Awkward selfies are taken. The political establishment is roasted at close range.

In what’s become something of a tradition itself, V.F., in conjunction with Instagram, has once again captured that heady mix at the Vanity Fair/Bloomberg White House correspondents’ dinner after-party, held this year at the French ambassador’s residence. In a first, photographer Douglas Friedman captured the action—literally—in these exclusive video portraits.

See the highlights below, and follow Vanity Fair on Instagram.