France Télévisions and Brut, official partners of the Cannes Film Festival, have enthusiastically announced that the French actor Laurent Lafitte will be the master of the ceremonies of the 78th edition of the most prestigious film festival, which will take place from May 13 to 24, 2025. This honor marks a return for Laurent Lafitte on the Cannes scene, he who had already assured this role in 2016 during the 69th Festival of Cannes.
An actor accomplished on the impressive course
Laurent Lafitte has built an eclectic career, oscillating between theater and cinema, with unanimously recognized ease and talent. Trained at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Paris as well as at the Guildford School of Acting in England, he has established himself as one of the essential faces of the French cultural landscape.
After working with renowned directors such as Mathieu Kassovitz, Guillaume Canet, Claude Miller and Michel Gondry, he also found success on stage with his one-man show Laurent Lafitte as its name suggestswhich triumphs for more than 350 performances. In 2012, he joined the prestigious troop of the Comédie-Française, where he embodied various roles in works signed Gogol, Voltaire, Feydeau, Shakespeare, Proust, Marivaux and Renoir.
His presence in the cinema continues to strengthen himself. In 2016, he shared the poster with Isabelle Huppert in the film She by Paul Verhoeven, who will be in official competition in Cannes. This role will earn him his first appointment to the César. The same year, it was distinguished in Goodbye up there Albert Dupontel by playing Lieutenant Pradelle, a performance greeted by a new appointment to the César.
A complete artist: actor, director and producer
Laurent Lafitte is not limited to interpretation. In 2020, he went behind the camera with his first feature film, The origin of the worldin which he directs Karin Viard, Vincent Macaigne and Hélène Vincent. The film is selected for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, affirming its place as an accomplished creator. He also explores new facets of the profession by joining the distribution of On the side of GuermantesAdaptation of Marcel Proust directed by Christophe Honoré.
In 2022, he played Dom Juan in the staging of Emmanuel Daumas at the Comédie-Française. On the cinema side, he plays Molière in The imaginary Molière of Olivier Py and turns The fourth wall by David Oelhoffen.
In 2023, he performed Bernard Tapie in the Netflix series Lurking of Tristan Séguéla, of whom he is also an associate producer. The series won the Best International Series Prize at the BAFTA 2024 and earned it an appointment to the International Emmy Awards. The same year, he collaborated with Julie Delpy on The barbarians and embodies the prosecutor Gérard de Villefort in Count of Monte-Cristo by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière, an immense success at the French box office which earned him a new appointment to the César.
A pivotal year in 2024 before new adventures
2024 marks a turning point for the actor who leaves the Comédie-Française after twelve years. He said goodbye by playing Cyrano de Bergerac on the scene of the Richelieu room, a performance that earned him a nomination for the Molière of the best actor.
At the same time, he is involved in several cinematographic projects alongside Guillaume Nicloux, Thierry Klifa, Antony Cordier, Nicolas Charlet and Bruno Lavaine, as well as Jérôme Commander and Emily Atef, whose films will be released in 2025 and 2026.
2025: a year of challenges and celebrations
The year 2025 promises to be grandiose for Laurent Lafitte. In addition to his role as master of ceremonies of the Cannes Film Festival, he will play Albin in the new production of the musical The Cage aux Folles At the Théâtre du Châtelet, directed by Olivier Py. A major challenge that will still enrich an exceptional course.
With such a dense and diversified career, Laurent Lafitte stands out as an essential figure in the French artistic landscape. His return to the Cannes Film Festival as a master of ceremonies perfectly illustrates the extent of his talent and popularity. The Cannes audience will thus find a daring actor, brilliant and capable of instilling all his humor and his presence in one of the largest stages in the cinematographic world.
Neïla Driss
