It was last night that the 76th edition of the Cannes Festival was inaugurated during an opening ceremony of glamor and excitation. The steps of the red carpet were climbed by celebrities from around the world, magnifying the atmosphere loaded with glamor and emotion. The elegant dresses, mainly characterized by their simplicity, sublimated the beauty of the actresses and the guests present.
Among the guests, personalities such as Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Douglas, his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and their daughter Carys, Naomi Campbell, Hussein Fahmy and his wife, Mona Zaki, Kaouther Ben Hania accompanied by her producer Nadim Cheikhrouha, and of course The members of the various juries of the various sections and competitions of the festival and the main actors of the opening film Jeanne du Barryproduced by Maiwen.
Despite the controversies that surrounded his presence at the festival because of the accusations brought by his ex-partner, Johnny Depp was indeed present and made a remarkable entry by offering a crowd bath. He took the time to distribute autographs and take selfies with his fans, thus showing his gratitude for their unwavering support. Maiwen and Johnny Depp were also entitled to a standing ovation of about 7 minutes at the end of the projection of Jeanne du Barry. Did he deserve this ovation for the quality of his game in the film? We can doubt it. Is it then a response from the presents to the disputes to his presence at the festival? Possible.
Dressed in a magnificent black long dress decorated with a row of rhinestones, Chiara Mastroianni, the mistress of ceremoniesthen opened the evening by humming Mi sono innamorato di te, Before continuing with a small speech. His talent and his presence on stage captivated the public, giving the tone for the rest of the evening.
The presentation of the members of the jury for the FEURS METRAGES competition followed, highlighting eminent personalities from the world of cinema: French director Julia Ducournau, winner of the Palme d’Or in 2021 for Titanium, Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, French actor Denis Ménochet, British-zambian scriptwriter and director Rungano Nyoni, American actress and director Brie Larson, American actor Paul Dano, Afghan writer Atiq Rahimi and the Argentinian director Damián Szifrón.
A moving video then retraced the exceptional cinematographic course of Ruben Östlund, president of the jury and directorwho knew how to make an impression with only six films, two of which earned him to win two golden palms, one in 2017 for The Square and the other in 2022 for Triangle of Sadness. This retrospective underlined the artistic impact of Ruben Östlund and its undeniable contribution to the world of cinema.
The Swedish filmmaker took advantage of this ceremony to deliver a message on the importance of cinema as a unifying art: “Cinema must be created by human beings to make us think. You don’t have to do content just to make content. What is wonderful with cinema is to see films together, united, in a room, and to exchange on it at the end of the sessions”.
The evening culminated with the presentation of the prestigious palm of gold of honor to the American actor Michael Douglas. He began his speech with a humorous note: “The Cannes Film Festival is even younger than me! ». He chained by saying his happiness and how touched it was: ” It matters a lot for me, because there are hundreds of film festivals in the world but there are only one canes. (…) It is an incredible honor“He said. “” Looking at my 55 years (career), I wondered how I could last so long (…) We work with as much relentlessness for our failures as for our successes“, He continued. He finished by thanking in French: “I would like to kiss with all my heart. »»
A video retracing most of his major roles has also been broadcast. The opportunity to highlight the richness of the career of this immense actor, who knew how to make a name for himself, and whose father, the great Kirk Douglas, had one day proudly said to him: ” If I had known you would become so famous, I would have been nicer to you when you were little“. A touching way to pay tribute to the relationship between a father and his son, and to underline the lasting impact of Kirk Douglas on the film industry.
It is actress Uma Thurmann, wearing a magnificent pink/salmon dress, embellished with a collar of Bordeaux red dog, who had the honor of giving her this palm, symbolizing the recognition of a whole career dedicated to the cinema: ” The Palme d’Or d’Honneur is attributed to people who have had a deep and lasting impact on cinema. I don’t see anyone other than Michael Douglas To deserve it as much. A unique Titan, an eternal star and a luminous artist ».
It was Catherine Deneuve, mother of Chiara Mastroianni and protagonist of the official poster of this edition, and Michael Douglas, who announced the opening of the Cannes Festival.
This opening evening also marks the first edition of the festival under the chairmanship of Iris KnoBloch, who succeeds Pierre Lescure in office since 2014. It is legitimate to wonder if his influence has contributed to the positive development of the festival. Is it thanks to her that the selection is also diversified, with a notable representation of films made by women, and that the festival opened up to young filmmakers and new countries? Do the choices made testify to his vision for the festival?
The festival will continue in the coming days, offering an exceptional program of quality films and a multitude of events that promise to fill movies around the world. The expectations are immense and the enthusiasts of the seventh art are impatient to discover the revelations that will take shape throughout this flagship event of the film industry. However, to allow festival -goers, moviegoers, journalists and professionals to fully enjoy these films, it is crucial that the organizers find a solution to the problems encountered with the electronic ticket office, implemented since 2021.
Of course, for Tunisians, the most anticipated and most important event in this edition is undoubtedly the selection of a Tunisian film, Olffa’s girlsdirected by Kaouther Ben Haniain official competition For the first time since 1970. It is delightful to note that all the projection sessions of this film already display complete. Perhaps it is due to the appointment of the penultimate film The man who sold his skin From this same director to the Oscar for best international film in 2021or perhaps it is because Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the festival, aroused the curiosity of journalists by evoking this film during his press conference given Monday afternoon, which he described as very beautiful, endowed with a particular structure, oscillating between documentary and fiction. Let’s cross your fingers!
Neïla Driss
